Big Box Retailers Like Sam’s Club Make Space for Healthier Brands Bobo’s, Poppi & OLIPOP
Thanks to consumer demand and increasing regulatory pressure, “better-for-you” packaged foods are gaining shelf space across America’s grocery stores. These brand strategy examples show how some of the least-healthy categories are seeing success with better-for-you options from brands like Bobo’s, Poppi and OLIPOP.
“Better-for-you” positioning is not the same as “healthy.” The nutritional value of these snacks and beverages might be preferable to conventional alternatives (like potato chips, candy and soda). Tate & Lyle report that consumers are willing to pay more for:
- 72% – Healthier ingredients
- 70% – Healthier processing methods
- 63% – No additives/preservatives
- 53% – Organic
- 46% – Individual packaging
Better-For-You Brand Strategy Examples:
Super Snack Seller Sam’s Club Cleans Up
Sam’s Club is well-known as a purveyor of mass-packaged snacks. Nestled among the usual salty and sweet snack fare, shoppers increasingly start to find more better-for-you options. Of the 15 snack categories on Sam’s website, many of them are phrased in the best possible interpretation for “healthy,” and two specifically target the better-for-you consumer, “Organic Snacks” and “Good Eats, Snacks.”
There are many possible brand strategy examples from the Sam’s Club offerings, but we’ll focus on one brand with several products, Bobo’s, founded in 2003 by a mom and her daughter baking oat bars in Boulder, CO. The company offers six different categories of whole-grain-oat-based snacks, and the brand promise is:
“Happiness is fueled by wholesome ingredients.”
I started noticing Bobo’s Oat Bites being offered at Sam’s Club a few years ago. I saw them as a good enhancement to a packed school lunch, especially on days where I had exhausted our supply of fresh fruit. My kids also declared them, “Awesome!”
As time progressed, Bobo’s expanded its SKUs in Sam’s Club to include PB&J Oat Snacks, a sandwich-style form factor but without the mess (Bobo hasn’t supplanted Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars with its own similar offering yet).
Better-For-You Brand Strategy Examples:
Prebiotic Soda Positioned as a Healthy Beverage, Not Just a Cola Substitute
Anyone who has walked down the beverage aisles of their local grocery store has noticed the shift towards flavored sparkling water. LaCroix has led the charge, followed by competitors Waterloo, Bubly, Polar and generic brands.
But there’s a new better-for-you beverage in town: prebiotic sodas. Two brand strategy examples in soda are vying for the spotlight, Poppi and OLIPOP. OSF Healthcare defines the product clearly:
“Prebiotic sodas are carbonated soft drinks with added fiber. Fiber is great for preventing and reducing constipation, encouraging regular pooping and keeping you feeling full for longer. The drinks are often flavored to mimic regular soda. The prebiotics in these sodas include kudzu root, Jerusalem artichoke, organic agave inulin, organic acacia fiber and nopal cactus.”
OSF Healthcare goes on to remind readers that the healthiest prebiotics are the ones found in whole foods, not as added ingredients. Also, it’s possible to have too much fiber!
Poppi Pops with Color (and Prebiotics)
Like other brand strategy examples, Poppi positions itself as a guilt-free way to enjoy your favorite indulgences. With 16 current flavors, there are plenty of options, from root beer to wild berry. Website copy explains:
“The freedom to love soda again. No more hiding cans in the bottom of your recycling bin or sipping sparkling water with your burger and fries. You deserve that mouth-watering swirl of flavors and bubbles without the baggage. Get all the soda feels with 5g sugar, ingredients you can love and prebiotics. Remember: cravings aren’t a crime, people! It’s time to love soda again.Like, right now!”
Poppi’s marketing and packaging are saturated with bright colors and bold designs. The flavor complements the “pop” theme, with the pleasant tang of apple cider vinegar. It’s a fun brand, with “better-for-you” benefits. I get the impression you’re supposed to be able to enjoy it without self-consciously thinking, “I’m drinking a healthy soda, good for me!”
With its incredibly bright positioning, Poppi found a natural promotional partner in A Minecraft Movie, which has been described as a “colorful sandbox.” The brand brought this collaboration to life quickly, with on-demand printing that gave cans a distinctive “blocky” feel. It’s impressive that a mid-size brand could keep up with a mega entertainment franchise.
OLIPOP is Concerned with Consumers’ Digestive Health
Calling its product a “thoughtfully-crafted tonic,” OLIPOP’s positioning is more sedate and research-oriented that Poppi. From the website:
“We’ve assembled a global team of leading human gut microbiome research pioneers with diverse expertise spanning digestive health, prebiotic structures, model gut systems and gut microbiome-supportive nutritional strategies. We work with them to translate cutting edge research and findings into OLIPOP’s product development.”
With every sip, one is met with the can’s tagline:
“Supports Digestive Health”
While enjoying this beverage, consumers seem to be absolutely encouraged to think, “Wow, I am drinking such a healthy soda, good for me!”
In April 2025, OLIPOP launched two new can designs. One is the more premium 12-ounce slim can. This packaging better matches this sophisticated brand strategy example.
In this adorable Facebook announcement, six-packs of mini cans were positioned as great for the whole family.
Better-For-You Brand Strategy Examples:
Ingredients Hiding in Plain Sight
I’m a consumer who often reads the ingredients list on packaged food (although I still consume plenty of alarming ingredients. Perhaps I want a clear picture of just how unhealthy I am). Over time, I’ve noted that many mega food and beverage brands have quietly substituted certain ingredients.
- Sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup
- Paprika and beet juice for color instead of the array of colors and numbers, like Red 40
- Whole grains instead of multi-ingredient white flours
- Natural flavors substituted for artificial flavors
This trend seems similar to the quiet discontinuation of partially-hydrogenated oils even before the FDA’s 2023 rule change banning their use. In 2024, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna introduced two acts, Stop Spoonfuls of Fake Sugar Act and Do or Dye Act, neither of which passed. In 2025, the FDA announced the phase-out of petroleum-based synthetic dyes in food.
It’s likely that big food brands see the market trajectory and are making quiet changes before they can suffer from negative PR. The brand strategy examples here are much less flashy than Poppi, that’s for sure.
However, on certain packaged foods, I’ve seen a “clean” ingredients list accompanied by the phrase: “Contains bioengineered food ingredients.” Consumers have made clear their preference for non-GMO food, so we’ll see how the market reacts.
Insight to Action has vast experience with CPG brands. We help them identify consumer trends and modify their positioning for the future. For more brand strategy examples, visit our Brand Strategy Resources. To start a conversation about your brand, contact us.
