Melinda’s and Poppi Top Fastest Growing List; Premier Protein and Kentucky Legend Win with GLP-1 Users; Samyang and Owala Win with Gen Alpha Households
CHICAGO, January 21, 2025 (GlobeNewswire) – Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has released its rankings of Brands to Watch in 2025. The list leverages proprietary Numerator consumer data, including survey, psychographics, and purchase metrics, to identify brands expected to experience significant growth in the coming year. A blended rank of household penetration and sales growth data was used to compile top brand lists, including fastest-growing brands, fastest-growing established brands, top private label brands, and the top brands among Gen Alpha households, cannabis users, and GLP-1 users.
2024 Highlights and 2025 Expectations:
Fastest-Growing Brands of 2024. In this year’s list, two hot sauce brands, Melinda’s (craft pepper sauces) and Huy Fong Foods Inc. (sriracha), landed in the top five fastest growing brands. Two prebiotic soda brands, Poppi and Olipop, made the list for the second year in a row, along with Chomps (meat sticks).
- Melinda’s
- Poppi
- Miss Vickie’s
- Samyang Foods
- Huy Fong Foods Inc.
- Stem
- Olipop
- GuruNanda
- Bluey
- Chomps
Fastest-Growing “Big” Brands of 2024. Well-established brands, defined here as a brand purchased by at least a quarter of U.S. consumers, also saw growth in 2024. Nerds found success thanks to the popularity of their Gummy Clusters, while Fairlife supercharged growth with their Core Power Protein Shakes.
- Nerds (Ferrara Candy Company)
- Fairlife (The Coca-Cola Company)
- Chester’s (PepsiCo)
- Celsius (Celsius Holdings Inc.)
- l.f. (e.l.f. Cosmetics)
- Ghirardelli (Lindt & Sprüngli)
- Kleenex (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
- Swanson (Campbell’s Company)
- Tillamook (Tillamook County Creamery Association)
- International Delight (Danone)
Top Gen Alpha Brands of 2024. Many of the most popular brands in Gen Alpha (born 2010 or later) households reflect online trends and viral brands, emphasizing the influence of social media and digital marketing. For example, the fastest growing brand among Gen Alpha households was Samyang, makers of the Buldak “fire chicken” ramen that gained popularity on social media. Three personal care brands (Dr. Squatch Soap Co., Kitsch, Hero Cosmetics) and two water bottle brands (Owala, Cirkul) also made the list.
- Samyang
- Owala
- Squatch Soap Co.
- Jonny Pops
- Nature’s Garden
- Tru Fru
- Cirkul
- Kitsch
- Fortnite
- Hero Cosmetics
Top Brands for Cannabis Users in 2024. Cannabis use continued to grow across the U.S. in 2024 as more states legalized marijuana and the Justice Department announced plans to reclassify the drug. While snack and beverage brands continue to win with this group, this year’s list saw a lean toward healthier options, including Mush (protein bars and overnight oats), Unreal (reduced sugar chocolates), and Nutricost (supplements and protein powders), as well as Spindrift and Brew Dr. Kombucha (healthy beverages).
- Mush
- Unreal
- Nutricost
- Spindrift
- King Arthur Baking
- Brew Dr. Kombucha
- House Foods
- Traditional Medicinals
- Cocoa Puffs
- Nature’s Bakery
Top Brands for GLP-1 Users in 2024. The eating habits of millions of U.S. adults were affected in 2024 as more consumers turned to GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Users tried to up their protein intake, both with protein supplements (Premier Protein) and meat products (Kentucky Legend, Armour Star). Two over-the-counter laxative brands (Miralax, Dulcolax) also made the list, as users tried to reduce the side effects of GLP-1 drugs.
- Premier Protein
- Kentucky Legend
- Armour Star
- Colombina
- Miralax
- Milo’s Tea Company
- Dulcolax
- Chef Boyardee
- Red Gold
- Manwich
Top Private Label Brands of 2024. Consumers still look for price-conscious alternatives for their favorite products, and two of the nation’s largest retailers capitalized on that in 2024 with the introduction of Walmart’s Bettergoods and Target’s Dealworthy product lines. While Walmart took the number one spot, Aldi and Target topped the private label charts, each snagging three spots on this year’s list.
- Bettergoods (Walmart)
- Dealworthy (Target)
- B Pure (Dollar Tree)
- Buc-ee’s (Buc-ee’s)
- Stonemill (Aldi)
- Mama Cozzi’s (Aldi)
- Anvil (Home Depot)
- Auden (Target)
- Bullseyes Playground (Target)
- PurAqua (Aldi)
Methodology: Numerator’s Top Brands lists are compiled based on a blended rank of household penetration growth and sales growth between 2023 and 2024. Brands on each list reached a minimum household penetration of 2–5% among the relevant audience in 2024, while those on the “big brands” list reached 25% or more.
About Numerator:
Numerator is a data and tech company bringing speed and scale to market research. Numerator blends first-party data from over 1 million US households with advanced technology to provide 360-degree consumer understanding for the market research industry that has been slow to change. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Numerator has 5,800 employees worldwide; 80 of the top 100 CPG brands’ manufacturers are Numerator clients.
