Olipop

For its latest seasonal limited edition release, Olipop has chosen a classic flavor that’s a throwback to the days of soda shop-style CSDs: Orange Cream. It’s a modern version of the timeless orange creamsicle soda that used to be a part of many premium CSD lineups.

The first noteworthy thing about this product is that it is made with 12% juice, which is something you won’t find in their other SKUs.. These juices -- from clementine and mandarin oranges as well as apple and lemon -- provide both flavor and sweetness in addition to added cassava root syrup and stevia. 

The end result is a product that has 50 calories and 5 grams of sugar, which is ever so slightly higher than the 35 calories and 2 grams of sugar that you’ll find in their core line. The product also has 9 grams of prebiotic fiber thanks to their proprietary “OLISMART” blend that’s added to every flavor.

Orange Cream’s increased sweetness is definitely noticeable -- as is the juice content. This product drinks much more like a full calorie CSD than their flagship offerings and the juices do an amazing job of masking the stevia all the way through to just a faint note at the finish. The orange and “cream” flavor is spot on, with notes of clementine and mandarin oranges as well as vanilla and caramel. It’s arguably one of Olipop’s more crushable flavors and we honestly wonder if other flavors at this level of sweetness would be a good thing for the brand.

Visually, we think that Olipop has done a really nice job of creating some curb appeal for this product. At front and center you’ll find an image of an orange cream pop, which both whets the palate and gives the product an intuitive and nostalgic vibe. The layout otherwise follows the rest of the Olipop family, with a large “OLIPOP” logo going across the center, the flavor name directly below the logo, and a variety of product attribute callouts throughout the front panel. 

Fortunately, these callouts aren’t too heady in terms of functional claims. They’ve focused on things that are pretty well known like probiotics, plant fiber, and plant-based. The only functional statement is “supports digestive health” and that, too, doesn’t require much in the way of education.

In the end, Olipop’s Orange Cream is a fun and clever limited edition line extension. They’ve definitely created some of their best liquid with this SKU and we think it’s the type of product that could earn its place in Olipop’s permanent lineup -- or at least serve as a framework for future limited edition flavors. 

Designed with gut health in mind, Olipop is a line of premium carbonated soft drinks that feature prebiotics, botanicals, and plant fiber in a low calorie and low sugar format.

All three of the initial flavors, which includes Cinnamon Cola, Ginger Lemon, and Strawberry Vanilla, feature original and sophisticated flavor profiles. More importantly, all three are very tasty and enjoyable, which is quite impressive considering that the product contains stevia rather than added sugar, resulting in a line that has 30-35 calories per can and only 2g of sugars.

We were particularly fond of Cinnamon Cola and Ginger Lemon, flavors which are really nice riffs on a classic cola and a classic ginger ale, respectively. In the case of Cinnamon Cola, the subtle note of cinnamon does a great job elevating the drink and making it clear that this isn’t just another run-of-the-mill craft cola. For Ginger Lemon, lemon juice and ginger essence are a pairing that work really well together, with the bright flavor of the lemon and the spice of the ginger being pretty potent. Lastly, there’s Strawberry Vanilla, which is good, though the strawberry flavor is a bit too strong for our liking.

While flavor is important and will ultimately determine whether consumers drink this product on a regular basis or not, the 9g of fiber contained in each can means there’s some pretty marketable functionality to this product. While the ingredients list a proprietary “OliSMART” blend, they otherwise don’t really do a great job of explaining this on the can.

Taking a look at the rest of the package, we think there’s some good stuff here but also some work left to do. On the positive, we like Olipop’s approach to branding and graphics, which have an almost retro vibe to them.

However, the rest of the design needs work, starting with the number of callouts that are vying for your eye on the front panel. We’d love to see more focus on the product’s key attributes, including the modest level of calories and the fiber content.

Overall, Olipop is a fun and well-executed product entry into the premium carbonated soft drink space. Its strongest assets are, in our opinion, its ability to deliver high quality low-calorie flavor using stevia and its cute looking brand. If they can evolve the branding to better display its functionality, this product seems like something that will potentially be very marketable.