JonnyPops Reports $170 Million in Annual Retail Sales as Distribution Expands
The Minnesota frozen treat brand, started with roughly $2,000 at St. Olaf College, has reported crossing the $170 million annual retail sales mark as it expands through Costco, Albertsons, and Canada.
- Annual retail sales
- More than $170 million over the past year, reported
- Founding capital
- Approximately $2,000, per the company
- Albertsons launch
- Nationwide rollout across 1,800+ Albertsons Companies stores, March 2026
- Canada expansion
- Distribution entered Canada in April 2026, per the company
- Manufacturing base
- Elk River, Minnesota, per the company
JonnyPops, the Minnesota frozen novelty brand co-founded by Erik Brust and Connor Wray, has reported surpassing $170 million in annual retail sales, a milestone that marks the latest inflection point for a business that traces its origins to a college dorm at St. Olaf College and an initial outlay of roughly $2,000.
The company, which manufactures its products in Elk River, Minnesota, began by selling at farmers markets before expanding into major national retailers. Recent distribution gains include a nationwide rollout across more than 1,800 Albertsons Companies stores in March 2026, and a Costco presence that has encompassed multiple product launches throughout the year. The brand also expanded into Canada in April 2026. The Wall Street Journal, in a September 2026 feature, called JonnyPops the hottest brand in the frozen aisle.
JonnyPops positions itself around clean-label credentials, including a no-artificial-dyes formulation across its range, and has broadened its portfolio in step with its retail footprint. In January 2026, the company launched a No Sugar Added with Electrolytes mini pop line, which the company described as a response to the functional indulgence trend. The brand's name and identity are tied to a person named Jonathan, and the company prints a kind-deed prompt on each stick as a defining piece of its consumer-facing identity.
Why it matters
The $170 million figure signals that clean-label frozen novelty has moved well past niche status and now commands genuine category weight. JonnyPops' arc from a roughly $2,000 startup selling at farmers markets to a brand with nine-figure annual retail sales illustrates how differentiated positioning around simple ingredients and a coherent brand narrative can drive shelf velocity at scale. Concurrent placement at value-club formats like Costco and conventional grocery chains like Albertsons suggests the brand has achieved the dual-channel reach that typically underpins durable share in frozen treats, where club exposure can build mainstream awareness faster than traditional advertising.
What to watch
The central open question is whether JonnyPops can sustain growth at a $170 million baseline while managing functional line extensions, a new international market, and the operational demands of manufacturing at Elk River. Balancing portfolio breadth against the brand simplicity that has driven consumer loyalty will be the defining strategic challenge as it moves into its next phase.
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