Poppi co-founder joins DropOut, maker of Jams packaged PB&J

DropOut Companies names Poppi co-founder Stephen Ellsworth as operating partner as it leans into its position as a maker of better-for-you brands.

Dec. 8, 2025

2 min read

DropOut Companies named Poppi co-founder Stephen Ellsworth as operating partner, seeking to tap his “brand building, product innovation and strategic scaling” expertise for the Jams maker. Jams is a frozen peanut butter and jelly prepared food marketed as a “protein-packed and health-forward snack.”

Frozen, thaw-and-serve crustless sandwiches filled with peanut butter and jelly remain a convenience sales powerhouse for many operators. DropOut, via its Jams brands and others, seeks to carve out market share by rebuilding familiar foods with ingredients that appeal to Gen Z and Millennials.

Conner Blakely, founder of DropOut, with his Jams frozen, thaw-and-serve crustless peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

In the new role, Ellsworth will provide strategic support across DropOut’s brands. Ellsworth is known for helping grow Poppi, a soda brand he developed with his wife, from a homemade apple-cider-vinegar drink into one of the country’s fastest-growing beverage lines. Poppi gained early traction at farmers' markets, then expanded nationally after a 2019 appearance on “Shark Tank.” According to DropOut, the brand surpassed $100 million in annual sales by 2023 and, in 2025, entered a strategic distribution partnership with PepsiCo valued at about $2 billion.

Connor Blakley, founder of DropOut Companies, said in a statement that experience with Ellsworth’s in building a category-defining, better-for-you soda brand is central to his new role.

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