The Brand Hopper

When people hear Starbucks, their first thought might be coffee. Maybe a venti caramel macchiato with extra drizzle. Or perhaps the iconic green siren logo glowing at the corner of a busy street. But Starbucks is more than drinks and logos. It built an empire on a philosophy that turned coffee shops into community hubs. […]

Marathon Petroleum is a leading U.S. refiner and midstream energy company. It operates 13 refineries (∼3.0 million barrels-per-day capacity) in 12 states, integrated by an extensive pipeline and terminal network. Its Midstream segment (primarily the MLP MPLX LP) gathers, transports and stores crude oil, refined products and natural gas: MPLX owns about 40 million barrels […]

Amphenol Corporation is a leading global manufacturer of connectors, cables and interconnect systems, serving diverse markets from automotive and aerospace to consumer electronics and broadband. By 2025 it offers products for vehicles (including EVs), aircraft and defense systems, factory automation, data centers, 5G networks and everyday devices. In recent years Amphenol has accelerated growth through […]

When PayPal first launched in the early 2000s, it redefined the way people paid online. For years, “just PayPal me” became shorthand for sending money digitally. With over 430 million active accounts and $1.68 trillion in total payment volume in 2024, it remains a payments powerhouse. Yet, the competitive environment has changed dramatically. Consumers and […]

Kool-Aid is an iconic powdered drink mix brand that has quenched the thirst of generations with its bold flavors and vibrant colors. Founded in 1927 by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska, the product was originally sold as packets of powder that could make a large pitcher of sweet, fruity beverage for just a dime. In […]

7UP is a globally recognized lemon-lime soft drink brand known for its crisp, clear, and caffeine-free formula. Launched in 1929 in the United States, 7UP carved out a unique identity in a cola-dominated market by positioning itself as a refreshing alternative to dark, caffeinated sodas. Over the decades, the brand has been managed by different […]

TransDigm Group is famed for a focused playbook: acquire niche, proprietary, hard-to-replace aircraft parts, price on value, and harvest outsized free cash flow via an aftermarket model that endures for decades. In FY2025 Q3, TransDigm reported EBITDA-as-Defined margins of ~54%—a number that underscores how strong proprietary content and aftermarket pricing can be when they’re done […]

U.S. Bancorp stands as one of America’s most established financial institutions, with a heritage tracing back to the Abraham Lincoln administration. Founded in 1863 when President Lincoln signed national bank charter No. 24, the company operates under one of the oldest active national bank charters in the United States. This historic charter, originally granted to The First National Bank […]

Southern Copper Corporation stands as one of the most compelling brand stories in global mining, representing a remarkable transformation from a small Delaware-incorporated venture in 1952 to the world’s largest publicly traded copper company by reserves. The company’s journey began with the founding of Southern Peru Copper Corporation, which launched operations at the Toquepala mine in […]

Clorox is an iconic American brand that has become synonymous with clean over its 100+ year history. Founded in 1913 as the Electro-Alkaline Company, it introduced one of the first commercial liquid bleaches to the U.S. market. In its early days, few consumers even knew what bleach was, so marketing ingenuity was crucial for survival. […]