Back-to-back honor underscores sustained growth, retail velocity, and category leadership
PITTSBURGH, March 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ready®, a premium, protein-centric functional snack and beverage company, has been named to Bain & Company’s 2026 Insurgent Brands list, which identifies outperforming independent brands reshaping their categories in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. Ready® is one of 113 brands to make this year’s list, having been selected for a second consecutive year, reinforcing the brand’s sustained high growth trajectory and expanding national footprint with over 45,000 retail outlets.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from Bain & Company for the second year in a row,” said Pat Cavanaugh, Founder and CEO of Ready®. “Being named an Insurgent Brand is meaningful, given the criteria required, and underscores our brand’s ability to resonate in an authentic way with better-for-you, active lifestyle consumers over an extended period of time. As we continue to expand our share within functional protein snacks and drinks, we’re proud we’ve been able to drive incrementality for our retail partners.”
Bain & Company defines insurgent brands as those that have generated more than $35 million of annual revenue in Nielsen IQ- tracked channels, have grown more than 10 times their category’s average growth rate over the past five years, and have maintained positive growth over the past two years. To qualify for Bain’s list, insurgent brands must be independent or have been acquired by a large consumer packaged goods company only within the past two years.
“We’ve now seen a decade of sustained momentum from insurgent brands driving exceptional growth and disruptive innovation in the consumer products sector, and this year is no exception,” said Charlotte Apps, executive vice president of Bain’s Consumer Products practice. “Looking ahead, we expect insurgents will continue to outgrow the market as health and wellness trends, retail dynamics, and technology further disrupt the industry.”
As consumer demand shifts toward functional, performance-driven nutrition, Ready® remains positioned at the intersection of better-for-you products and great taste, proven retail productivity, and scalable innovation, driving top-line growth and category expansion.
For more information about Ready® and its growth vision, visit TeamReady.com.
About Ready®
Ready® is a premium, protein-centric functional snack and beverage company founded by former University of Pittsburgh Basketball Team Captain, Pat Cavanaugh.
The company’s All-Natural Product Portfolio includes Protein and Snack Bars, Plant-Based Functional Snacks, and a Portfolio of Functional Protein and Hydration Drinks. Its products are currently available in over 45,000 retail outlets including, Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, The Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods, Wegmans, Meijer, Giant Eagle, Circle-K, and other fine retailers. Over 200 colleges and universities provide their student-athletes with Ready® products. World Champion and former NFL great Aaron Donald, along with global basketball icon and NBA two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, are co-owners in the company. Ready® is the Official Snack and Sports Drink of The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The brand continues to be a National Partner with the Susan G. Komen® organization to assist in its fight against breast cancer.
For more information, visit TeamReady.com or connect with the brand on Instagram, X, TikTok, or Facebook.
About Bain & Company
Bain & Company is a global consultancy that helps the world’s most ambitious change makers define the future.
Across 65 cities in 40 countries, we work alongside our clients as one team with a shared ambition to achieve extraordinary results, outperform the competition, and redefine industries. We complement our tailored, integrated expertise with a vibrant ecosystem of digital innovators to deliver better, faster, and more enduring outcomes. Our 10-year commitment to invest more than $1 billion in pro bono services brings our talent, expertise, and insight to organizations tackling today’s urgent challenges in education, racial equity, social justice, economic development, and the environment. We earned a platinum rating from EcoVadis, the leading platform for environmental, social, and ethical performance ratings for global supply chains, putting us in the top 1% of all companies. Since our founding in 1973, we have measured our success by the success of our clients, and we proudly maintain the highest level of client advocacy in the industry.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ready-recognized-on-bain–companys-2026-insurgent-brands-list-for-second-consecutive-year-302704668.html
SOURCE Ready
