California’s vibrant entrepreneurial landscape continues to foster innovative brands that are reshaping various industries. Here are seven emerging California-based brands making significant strides in 2025:
1. Chamberlain Coffee
Founded by influencer Emma Chamberlain, Chamberlain Coffee has rapidly evolved from a digital venture into a burgeoning coffee empire. Despite facing supply chain challenges in 2024, the brand projected over $33 million in revenue for 2025, emphasizing a shift towards profitability. Strategies included expanding product lines and focusing on retailers like Whole Foods and Target. The opening of its first café in Los Angeles aimed to enhance brand awareness and cross-promote products. Leveraging Chamberlain’s strong online presence, the brand continues to resonate with Gen Z consumers through innovative coffee products.
2. Skims
Founded by Kim Kardashian, Skims has expanded from shapewear into a comprehensive lifestyle brand. In a strategic move, Skims acquired Kardashian’s beauty brand, Skkn by Kim, integrating it into its product lineup. This consolidation aims to create a unified brand encompassing shapewear, beauty, skincare, and fragrance. Leveraging Skims’ market success and cultural relevance, the brand plans to launch its first Skims-branded beauty products in 2026, demonstrating its adaptability in a saturated market.
3. Goodles
Goodles is a California-based food startup that is revolutionizing the classic comfort food—mac & cheese—by making it healthier, tastier, and more nutritious. Unlike traditional boxed mac & cheese, which is often high in refined carbs and artificial additives, Goodles offers a high-protein, high-fiber, and nutrient-dense alternative without compromising on taste. Goodles was launched in 2021 and quickly gained popularity for its unique blend of better-for-you ingredients and playful branding. The brand’s mac & cheese is fortified with 21 essential nutrients from vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and mushrooms while maintaining a creamy and indulgent texture.
4. Impossible Foods
Impossible Foods, based in California, has been a pioneer in plant-based meat alternatives. The company’s innovative approach to creating meat and dairy products that mimic animal products has positioned it as a leader in the food industry.
5. Bolt Threads
Bolt Threads is a biotechnology company and sustainable materials innovator that is transforming the fashion industry by creating bioengineered materials as alternatives to traditional textiles. Their goal is to create a more sustainable and ethical fashion industry by developing fabrics that are produced through biotechnology rather than relying on the resource-intensive and environmentally harmful practices of conventional textile manufacturing. They use cutting-edge biological engineering to develop new materials that have the potential to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint, water usage, and reliance on animal-based materials. Some of their most notable innovations include Mylo™, a sustainable leather alternative made from mushrooms, and Silk Lab-grown Fibers, which are bioengineered to replicate natural silk without harming silkworms.
6. Carboniste
Carboniste, founded by Dan and Jacqueline Person, is redefining California’s sparkling wine scene. Specializing in unique sparkling wines, Carboniste offers a fresh take on traditional methods, appealing to modern wine enthusiasts seeking innovative flavors. Carboniste is using seafood on their labels as a way to communicate the culinary versatility of their sparkling wine, aligning with the premium image of the brand and suggesting a perfect match for fine dining, particularly seafood.
7. King’s Carey
Operated by winemaker James Sparks, King’s Carey focuses on producing expressive wines with an emphasis on Grenache. The brand’s commitment to showcasing the nuances of this varietal has garnered attention among wine connoisseurs, marking it as a rising star in California’s wine industry.
