What Happened to Jones Soda?

About

Jones Soda Co. started in snowboard shops and tattoo parlors, anywhere Coke and Pepsi wouldn't go.

It printed customers' photos on its labels, sold Turkey & Gravy soda at Thanksgiving, and became one of the coolest drinks of the 2000s.

Then, in 2007, it spent millions to get its cans into grocery stores across the country. Two years later, a rival offered to buy it for thirty cents a share.

In the first episode of Shelf Stable, a new series from Unit Economics about famous brands with forgotten or under-discussed stories, I tell the story of how Jones built a cult following, what happened when it paid for a spot on the shelf, and where the company is today.

Jones is one of my favorite brands from the late 90s / early 2000s, so needless to say I had a lot of fun putting this one together and learned quite a bit while doing it.

As this is the first installment in the series, let me know what you think!

This episode is brought to you in part by Rho, a paid partner of the show. Rho is the modern banking platform built for the AI era. Startups and growth-stage companies can open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books, all in one connected platform, backed by real human support that founders love. Right now, qualified Unit Economics listeners can get $100 when they open and fund an account at uepod.com/rho. Terms apply.