This audio is generated automatically. Please let me know if you have any comments.
Fast-growing independent food brands such as Kodiak pancakes and Chomps meat sticks accounted for a quarter of the food sector’s growth last year, with the most disruptive products benefiting from consumer demand for clean, natural products. According to a study by Bain & Company.
Every year, the management consulting firm tracks so-called “peninsula brands,” consumer products that have outperformed the market. These brands are growing at least 10 times faster than the category average, either while remaining independent or being acquired by large CPGs within the past two years.
New rebels on the list for 2026 include Archer meat snacks and LesserEvil, which produces better snacks. Acquired by Hershey In November. Returning rebels include Conagra Brands’ Fatty meat sticks, Chomps meat sticks, Carbone sauce, Kodiak cakes and PepsiCo’s Siete. The food giant’s latest acquisition.
The management consulting firm said these brands are thriving with a focus on clean-label positioning and on-trend ingredients like proteins. Bain noted that 44% of brands featured natural or organic claims, nearly four in 10 emphasized high protein, and a quarter emphasized gourmet or global flavors.
As major food companies struggle to achieve growth, acquiring challenger brands has become a strategic means of playing in new categories and revitalizing sales. Large CPG companies have been shedding slower non-core assets and buying fast-growing assets with products in trendy sectors.
Among the rebel food brands on Bain’s 2026 list are LesserEvil and Bachchan’s BBQ Sauce It has been acquired by a large food company in the past year. Another brand on the list, Good Culture Cottage Cheese, sold a majority stake to: Last January, private equity fund L Catteron.
“In a market where overall growth remains stagnant, rebels are becoming an increasingly attractive investment for established consumer companies and investors seeking a foothold in growth sectors,” Charlotte Apps, Bain’s vice president of consumer products, said in a statement.
Similar patterns emerged for both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. Last year alone, 13% of non-alcoholic beverage growth came from Rebel brands, Bain said.
The company’s list of holdouts in the non-alcoholic category included prebiotic soda Poppi, Ghost energy drink and non-alcoholic carbonated mixer Fever-Tree. All three were acquisition targets. pepsico Foreskin purchased $2 billion in 2025; Keurig Dr Pepper has captured the Ghost. A year ago it was over $1 billion. meantime, Molson Coors acquired a minority stake in Fever-Tree. January 2025.
