Congo Brands

Kentucky-based Congo Brands is a somewhat unusual choice for a Rising Star award, as the company has built a portfolio of multiple independent brands – mostly created in partnership with celebrities and influencers – which are swiftly scaled through a robust sales and marketing program that allows these new products to get on shelf with experienced merchandising support. The strength of Congo’s portfolio made it difficult to choose just one brand to single out. Their breakout star, no doubt, is energy and protein line Alani Nu, which has quickly emerged as one of the fastest growing brands in the performance energy subset while breaking new ground in the category with female consumers. But also catching our eye is their new sports drink brand PRIME, launched this year with YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI, and which is well on its way to reach high-eight-digit sales in its first year on the market. Next up for launch: sweet tea line Down South. Only time will tell if it will be a three-peat success, but with Alani Nu and PRIME as models Congo has more than proven they know how to build brand equity and consumer loyalty with speed and precision.