If you’re a restaurant, boutique shop, or distributor wondering whether craft soda belongs on your shelves, you’re asking the right question at the right time. This guide covers how to sell Polly’s Pop, the difference between the two wholesale craft soda paths available to you, what to have ready before you reach out, and why local businesses across Kansas City keep coming back for more once they stock it.
Whether you’ve never carried a craft beverage before or you’re comparing suppliers, by the end of this guide you’ll know exactly what to do next.
Why Retailers Are Adding Craft Soda to Their Lineup
Craft soda isn’t a fad move for retailers anymore, it’s a category with real momentum. The global craft soda market was valued at roughly $785.8 million in 2025 and is projected to grow at a 5.4% annual rate through 2033, according to Grand View Research, driven largely by shoppers looking for cleaner ingredients and local, small-batch products over mass-produced alternatives.
That tracks with what Food Dive has reported on the category too: people aren’t drinking soda as often as they used to, but when they do reach for one, they’re increasingly picking the version made with real ingredients over the mass-market can. For a retailer, that’s an opening. A craft soda doesn’t need to replace what’s already on your shelf, it just needs to be there for the customer who’s ready to pay a little more for something better.
That’s exactly why so many businesses are looking into how to become a craft soda retailer right now instead of waiting. The category is growing while shelf space for anything genuinely local and small-batch is still wide open in most markets, Kansas City included.
How to Sell Polly’s Pop at Your Business
There are two straightforward paths, depending on where your business is located.
If you’re in or around Kansas City and Independence, Polly’s Pop partners directly with local restaurants, retailers, and distributors. You’ll work with the team directly to figure out what fits your business, no middleman involved.
Outside that area, you’re not out of luck. Polly’s Pop sells wholesale nationwide through Faire, so you can order online and have it shipped to your business no matter where you’re located.
Pro tip: Whichever path fits you, everything starts in the same place. Head to the Polly’s Pop retailer page and fill out the short interest form, that’s what actually gets the conversation started.
Distributor, Wholesaler, or Craft Soda Retailer: Which Fits You?
The interest form asks you to pick a business type, and it’s worth knowing the difference before you get there.
A retailer is anyone selling directly to the end customer, a restaurant pouring it at the fountain, a diner stocking bottles in a cooler, a gift shop selling it by the case. A wholesaler buys in bulk and resells to other businesses rather than individual customers. A craft soda distributor typically moves product across a wider territory, supplying multiple retailers or regions at once rather than a single storefront.
Most businesses reaching out are retailers, and that’s exactly who the direct Kansas City partnership and the Faire wholesale option are both built for. If you’re a distributor looking to cover more ground, the conversation with the team looks a little different, but it starts at the same form.
What You’ll Need Before You Reach Out
Knowing how to sell Polly’s Pop efficiently really just comes down to having a few details ready before you fill out the form:
- Your business type. Are you a distributor, wholesaler, or retailer? Knowing this upfront helps the team route your inquiry correctly.
- What you’re interested in carrying. Polly’s Pop soda, Polly-Q BBQ Sauce, or both, McClain Enterprises makes both under the same roof.
- Your location. This determines whether you’ll work through the direct Kansas City partnership or order through Faire.
- Basic contact info. Company name, address, and a phone number or email where the team can follow up.
None of this needs to be polished. It’s the same information most wholesale relationships start with, and it’s exactly what the Polly’s Pop retailer form asks for.
If you’re still deciding whether now’s the right time, it usually comes down to one question: do you already have customers asking for something more local or better made than what’s currently on your shelf? If the answer is yes, that’s usually reason enough to find out how to sell Polly’s Pop at your specific location before a competitor down the street beats you to it.
Why Local Businesses Choose Polly’s Pop
Not every soda earns a second order. Here’s what tends to bring retailers back:
- A real story, not a marketing angle. Polly’s Pop traces back to Independence, Missouri in 1923, revived after decades off the shelf following a roughly 44 year pause. That kind of heritage is hard to manufacture, and customers notice the difference when they ask about it.
- Cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Every flavor is made with pure cane sugar, which reads as cleaner and less syrupy than a standard soda, especially next to barbecue or a diner menu.
- Gluten-free and caffeine-free across all sixteen flavors. That’s the whole lineup, not a single niche SKU, which makes it an easy addition regardless of who’s walking through your door or what dietary needs they’re navigating.
- A diet line that doesn’t feel like a compromise. Diet Root Beer, Diet Strawberry, Diet Orange, Diet Cream, and Diet Black Cherry round things out for customers who want the flavor without the sugar.
- Small-batch production, every time. Each bottle still comes off a 1940s bottling machine in small runs rather than a mass-production line, which is part of what makes the product feel worth the shelf space.
It’s the kind of product that works whether you’re running a hot dog counter or a sit-down dinner spot, the flavor does the same job either way, which is part of why it shows up on menus across the Kansas City food scene.
Getting Started: How to Sell Polly’s Pop Step by Step
Once you’ve got your basics together, the process is short:
- Fill out the interest form on the Polly’s Pop retailer page with your company name, location, and contact info.
- Tell them what you’re interested in, Polly’s Pop, Polly-Q BBQ Sauce, or both.
- The team follows up directly to walk through next steps and figure out which path, direct partnership or Faire, fits your business.
That’s the whole process. No lengthy application, no waiting on a call center, just a real conversation with the people who make the product.
Who’s Already Selling Polly’s Pop
Polly’s Pop is already on menus and shelves at spots like Up Dog Specialty Hot Dogs, Square Pizza, Ophelia’s Restaurant, Courthouse Exchange, Cafe Verona, and El Pico. It sits comfortably next to a hot dog cart or a white-tablecloth dinner menu, because the flavor carries it either way.
“Best combination of high quality and nostalgia! Incredible flavor and detail in a local business.” – Paul M.
That’s the kind of reaction that turns a first order into a standing one. It’s also the clearest answer to why so many businesses figure out how to sell Polly’s Pop and then keep reordering long after the first case sells through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to already be a restaurant or store to sell Polly’s Pop?
No. Distributors and wholesalers figuring out how to sell Polly’s Pop can apply too, not just retail storefronts. The interest form asks which category fits your business so the team can route things correctly.
How long does it take to hear back after I apply?
There’s no fixed timeline published, since it depends on your location and business type, but the team follows up directly with everyone who submits the form rather than leaving you waiting on an automated response.
Can I sell both Polly’s Pop and Polly-Q BBQ Sauce?
Yes. Both brands are made under McClain Enterprises, and the interest form lets you select one or both when you apply.
Is there a minimum order to sell Polly’s Pop wholesale?
Order details, including minimums, are worked out directly with the team based on your business type and location, that’s part of what gets covered once you reach out through the retailer page.
Do I have to buy through Faire, or can I order directly?
Both options exist. Kansas City area businesses typically work directly with the team, while businesses outside the region generally order through Faire for wholesale craft soda shipped straight to their location.
Ready to Start Selling Polly’s Pop?
Craft soda is one of the easiest ways to give your customers something they’ll actually remember, and Polly’s Pop brings a real, local story to back it up. Whether you’re in Kansas City or shipping in from across the country, the path to carrying it is short.
If you’re ready to move forward, the Polly’s Pop retailer page is where to start, fill out the form and the team takes it from there.




