Fast-growing, independent food brands such as Kodiak pancakes or Chomps meat sticks made up a quarter of growth in the food sector last year, with the most disruptive products benefiting from consumer demand for clean and natural offerings, according to a study from Bain & Company.
Each year, the management consulting firm tracks what it calls "insurgent brands," or consumer products that have outperformed the market. These brands grow at least 10 times faster than the category average while remaining independent or having been acquired by a large CPG within the past two years.
New insurgents making the list in 2026 include Archer meat snacks and LesserEvil, a maker of better-for-you snacks that was acquired by Hershey in November. Returning insurgents include Conagra Brands’ Fatty meat sticks, Chomps meat sticks, Carbone sauces, Kodiak cakes and PepsiCo’s Siete, a recent acquisition for the food giant.
The management consulting firm said these brands are thriving by focusing on clean-label positioning or on-trend ingredients like protein. Bain noted that 44% of brands featured natural or organic claims, nearly four in 10 touted high protein and a quarter emphasized elevated or global flavors.
As major food companies struggle to achieve growth, acquiring challenger brands has become a strategic lever to play in new categories and rejuvenate sales. Large CPG companies have been shedding slower, non-core assets while purchasing faster-growing assets with products in trendier areas.
Of the insurgent food brands on Bain's 2026 list, LesserEvil and Bachan's barbecue sauce have been acquired by larger food companies within the past year. Good Culture cottage cheese, another brand on the list, sold a majority stake to private equity firm L Catteron in January.
“In a market where overall growth remains muted, insurgents are increasingly attractive investments for established consumer products players and investors seeking footholds into areas of growth,” Charlotte Apps, executive vice president of Bain’s consumer products practice, said in a statement.
A similar pattern appeared in both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. Last year alone, 13% of growth in nonalcoholic beverages came from insurgent brands, Bain said.
The firm’s insurgent list in the nonalcoholic category included prebiotic soda Poppi, Ghost energy drink and nonalcoholic carbonated mixer Fever-Tree. All three have been acquisition targets. PepsiCo purchased Poppi for $2 billion in 2025, while Keurig Dr Pepper snapped up Ghost for more than $1 billion a year earlier. Meanwhile, Molson Coors took a minority stake in Fever-Tree in January 2025.
