ForceBrands and Bain & Company have joined forces to create an invitation-only brand network. Leveraging Bain & Company’s strategic insights and ForceBrands’ consumer talent expertise, the Insurgent Brands Network strives to provide deep insights and connections that will support promising consumer products brands on their scaling journey.

Now in the eighth year of publication, Bain’s Insurgent Brands research identifies independent, fast-growing consumer products companies that are disrupting their categories. These brands have at least $25M of revenue in conventional grocery channels and outpaced their category growth at least tenfold over the prior 5-year period. 

“Our research shows that these brands, when scaled thoughtfully, can become true category leaders,” said Charlotte Apps, EVP of Bain’s Consumer Products practice. “Yet, while we continue to witness incredible success stories, our conversations with founders and other Insurgent Brand leaders indicate a continued need to stay ahead of the shifting landscape — from consumer and retail trends, to supply chain uncertainty, inflation and funding access. We are creating this platform so Insurgent Brand leaders can benefit from data-driven insights and shared learnings.”

Once Upon a Farm has joined the Insurgent Brand network to take advantage of the platform’s benefits and connect with other Insurgent brand leaders. In a recent conversation with Apps, John Foraker, CEO and co-founder of Once Upon a Farm, commented, “The most unexpected lesson I’ve learned as CEO of an Insurgent Brand is the power of community. I didn’t recognize how important that would be to the success of this business — for awareness and word of mouth, but also talent acquisition, retailers giving us a shot, and connecting with peers on any topic where we can learn from shared experiences.”

As a strategic talent partner for the consumer economy, ForceBrands’ purpose for helping brands unlock their next stage of growth aligns closely with the Insurgent Brands Network mission.

“Collaborating with Bain & Company to launch the Insurgent Brands Network amplifies ForceBrands’ mission to build and elevate high-growth consumer brands,” ForceBrands’ CEO and Founder Josh Wand said. “By combining Bain’s strategic insights with ForceBrands’ expertise as a talent partner in the consumer economy, we create a dynamic ecosystem where innovative brands can thrive and become leaders in their categories.”

Network members will also benefit from the connectivity.

“Brands identified as Insurgent Brands are at critical inflection points on their growth journey. They’re looking at strategic talent, organizational structures, and leadership to take them to the next level,” ForceBrands’ Chief Marketing Officer Julie Fabricant said. “We’re thrilled to bring together the founders and executives of these high growth companies to create a network where as peers they can share valuable insights, benchmarks, and experiences.”

About the Insurgent Brands Network

The Insurgent Brands Network is designed to support, educate, and bring together today’s game-changing brand leaders. As Insurgent brands recognized by Bain & Company, network members will join a community of high-performing brands identified each year due to their strong growth trajectory and significant impact in their category.  

Brands invited to the Insurgent Brands Network will gain exclusive access to proprietary insights into how industry peers are driving growth and tackling industry challenges. In addition, they’ll have access to expert knowledge on key topics such as marketing, innovation, and financial performance, and will have opportunities to connect to other executives within the network.

Highlights from Bain’s 2024 Insurgent Brands Research

• Insurgent brands regained momentum in 2023. While accounting for less than 2 percent of market share in the categories in which they exist, these brands captured nearly 20 percent of incremental category growth compared with 6 percent in 2022. They achieved this growth through volume expansion alongside price increases, taking share from larger competitors in a market in which volumes were flat.

• Insurgent brands had the greatest impact in the nonalcoholic beverage category, with companies such as Celsius, Prime, Cellucor, Ghost, and Alani Nu accounting for 3.4 percent of market share but capturing more than 35 percent of the growth. In food, Insurgents accounted for less than 1 percent of market share and captured more than 7 percent of category growth. And in personal care, insurgents held 2 percent of market share while taking 16 percent of category growth.

• Five of this year’s Insurgents reached sales of half a billion dollars or more, proving that these brands can scale if they apply the right growth playbook. At the same time, recent macroeconomic challenges have led to greater movement within the list, with 40 percent of brands dropping off last year’s list because of lower growth. Only four brands — Chobani, Eos, Kodiak, and Rao’s — remain on the list since its 2016 inception.

Learn more about Bain & Company’s  Insurgent Brands research here.