Prebiotic soda Olipop approaches $200 million in annual sales — and CEO says Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have already come knocking

Prebiotic soda maker Olipop is set to cross $200 million in annual sales this year, just five years after it arrived on grocery store shelves.

Click here to read the story at cnbc.com.

Discussion Questions:

1. What kind of company is Olipop? What type of product or service to they offer?
2. What is positioning?
3. Based on what you learned in this news story, how would you describe Olipop’s positioning strategy?
4. What is entrepreneurship?
5. How might Olipop represent an example of entrepreneurship?
6. What are the different ways entrepreneurs can finance a new venture?
7. Why is financing important?
8. The article suggests that, despite its success, Olipop is still in the early stages of growth. What must happen for the company to continue to grow?
9. How much does a 12-ounce can of Olipop cost?
10. How does that compare to Coke or Pepsi?
11. Why do you think Olipop chose that price point?
12. What is distribution?
13. Why is distribution important to Olipop?
14. How might distribution help the company to grow?
15. What is an acquisition in business?
16. Why would Coke or Pepsi be interested in acquiring Olipop?
17. What is the marketing mix?
18. How would you describe each of the marketing mix components as it relates to Olipop’s marketing strategy?