Why Fast-Growing CPG Brands Chose Assembled Brands in 2025

2025 was a defining year for consumer brands. While demand remained strong across categories like wellness, apparel, beauty, food & beverage, and home goods, founders faced complex and often conflicting pressures: increasing production costs, evolving retail timelines, ongoing uncertainty around tariffs, and the challenge of forecasting in unpredictable markets.

Yet despite these realities, one theme remained constant: the resilience and adaptability of growth-stage brands. Many found themselves in a familiar but difficult position: they had outgrown the flexibility of FinTech credit and MCA products, but the path to traditional commercial bank financing was still a few steps away.

This “in-between” stage surfaced repeatedly throughout the year. It wasn’t a sign of weakness or mismanagement; it was a sign of maturity. The brands we met had strong retail traction, improved financial discipline, expanded channels, and operational systems to back them up. What they needed was a capital structure designed to match that evolution.

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The Challenges That Defined the Mid-Market in 2025

Across categories, several patterns emerged:

1. Seasonal and inventory-driven businesses needed more adaptive liquidity.

Rapid sell-through or larger retail orders created capital needs that spiked quickly. Conventional lenders often couldn’t adjust as fast as the business.

2. Founders needed clarity and stability more than ever.

Many brands were no longer looking for the fastest or cheapest capital; they needed predictability, transparency, and partners who understood the operational realities of CPG.

3. Ownership mattered.

After years of growth and brand-building, founders were increasingly protective of control. Non-dilutive capital became a priority, especially for companies approaching profitability or preparing for larger institutional relationships.

4. Asset value became a strategic advantage.

As brands matured, their receivables and inventory represented meaningful, dependable value. The challenge was finding financing structures that recognized, not restricted, that value.

These insights shaped how we supported founders throughout the year.

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How Flexible Structures Helped Brands Move Forward

While every brand’s journey was different, several structural elements consistently made a meaningful difference:

• Founder-first terms
  Reducing friction around reporting, removing lockboxes, and keeping covenants light allowed teams to maintain focus where it mattered: operations, retail execution, and product.
  
  
• Accordion-style scalability
  As demand grew, whether from a new retail door, a seasonal spike, or a channel expansion, credit availability expanded with it. This helped founders make decisions based on real opportunity, not constraint.
  
  
• Non-dilutive capital
  Many brands entered 2025 with stronger financial discipline than in years prior. For these founders, maintaining ownership while securing working capital was a core priority.
  
  
• Higher advance rates
  Recognizing the full value of a brand’s assets, including up to 85% of eligible A/R and up to 70% on inventory, gave companies room to operate confidently.
  
  

These weren’t simply financing preferences. In a landscape where timing, inventory readiness, and operational consistency define success, they were foundational to momentum.

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A Year Defined by Strong, Independent Brands

The companies we partnered with in 2025, from emerging wellness products to digitally native apparel, modern food brands, and mission-driven accessories, demonstrated exceptional clarity and conviction.

Brands such as Supergut, Fishwife, Birddogs, Une Femme Wines, Baseball Lifestyle 101, Wildwonder, Mezcla, and others each exemplified a different facet of what it means to scale responsibly in today’s consumer landscape.

Some expanded retail channels. Others deepened customer loyalty or launched new products. Many focused on operational refinement and financial sustainability. But all of them shared a common thread: a commitment to building durable brands supported by capital structures that adapt, not constrain.

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Looking Toward 2026

As the year comes to a close, one thing is clear: The mid-market is full of resilient, resourceful founders building the next generation of consumer brands.

In 2026, we look forward to continuing to support companies navigating the space between early-stage financing and commercial bank readiness, offering structures that meet brands where they are, honor the work they’ve put in, and help them scale with confidence.

Momentum doesn’t come from capital alone. It comes from founders building thoughtfully, adapting early, and choosing partners who understand what it takes to grow a modern CPG brand.

We’re grateful to every team we worked with this year, and inspired by what’s ahead!

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Learn how we help fast-growing brands scale →

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