Pittsburgh-based Unifying Spirits, creator of Boba POPS® — the world's first alcohol-filled popping boba — has appointed David Li, PhD, as Director of Research and Development, tasking him with building a functional nutrition pipeline that would extend the brand's patented pearl technology into protein, caffeine, and fiber delivery.

The hire signals a meaningful category pivot for a brand that has already demonstrated retail velocity in the beverage alcohol aisle. Boba POPS® is currently distributed across more than 6,000 retail doors in 45 states, with shelf presence at Kroger, Albertsons, and ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, and a growing Pop & Go™ RTD cocktail line. The appointment suggests Unifying Spirits is positioning that distribution footprint as a launchpad for adjacent functional SKUs rather than treating it as a ceiling.

The R&D Case

Li brings an unusual cross-disciplinary profile to the role. He holds a PhD in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and dual undergraduate degrees in Mathematical Economics and Biochemistry from Wake Forest University. Before joining Unifying Spirits, he spent four years at The Biotechnology and Life Sciences Advising (BALSA) Group — rising to Director of Marketing — where he led market-sizing, competitive mapping, and growth strategy work for clients in cell therapy, medical devices, and surgical imaging. He also held an associate role with Oracle's Life Sciences Solutions group.

That combination of bench science and commercial strategy is precisely what a brand attempting a cross-category technology transfer needs. The core intellectual property in question is the fill process Unifying Spirits developed and patented to keep popping pearls shelf-stable inside finished drinks — the same engineering that, the company argues, can be adapted to encapsulate functional actives rather than spirits.

Three Categories in the Crosshairs

The functional pipeline targets three high-velocity segments. Protein-enriched pearls are designed to appeal to fitness- and wellness-focused shoppers in an RTD high-protein segment the brand cites as growing approximately 10% annually through 2033. Caffeinated pearls would overlay an energy benefit on Boba POPS®' existing flavor architecture, a meaningful add in a caffeinated beverage market the company estimates at $92 billion for 2026. Fiber- and probiotic-enriched pearls round out the pipeline, riding the gut-health tailwind that PepsiCo underscored when it acquired Poppi for $1.95 billion in 2025.

Experimentation on the functional lines began in the fourth quarter of 2026, according to the company. Li is also applying new technology to the core Boba POPS® portfolio — specifically, a method for keeping differently flavored pearls distinct within a single drink — work that could expand the brand's planogram footprint and increase TDP in existing retail accounts.

For grocery buyers tracking the better-for-you and functional beverage corridor, the Boba POPS® functional play is worth watching as a merchandising adjacency story. If the technology transfer delivers shelf-stable functional pearls in a recognizable, trend-forward format, the brand could move from a specialty spirits novelty to a legitimate challenger across multiple planogram sets — a dynamic Food & Beverage Magazine has been tracking across the functional RTD segment.

For more on the functional beverage category's retail trajectory, see Grocery CPG's coverage of better-for-you beverages and the RTD cocktail channel.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.