Brand Fuel
Brand Fuel is a B Corp-certified promotional merchandise agency that designs custom branded products, manages online company stores, and runs phygital marketing campaigns for enterprise and mid-market clients across the US, UK, and Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersRaleigh, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Brand Fuel does
Brand Fuel is a privately held promotional products and branded merchandise agency founded in 1998 in Raleigh, NC by co-owners Danny Rosin and Robert Fiveash. The company designs and sources custom branded merchandise, operates online corporate stores, runs phygital marketing campaigns, and produces experiential brand activations for enterprise and mid-market clients in technology, healthcare, consumer goods, financial services, manufacturing, and nonprofit sectors. Its stated customer base spans over 4,122 brands served since founding, with named accounts including Cisco, Red Hat (IBM), AMD, Stripe, Mayo Clinic, ThermoFisher Scientific, Airbus, and the American Cancer Society.
The company's core technology is its cloud-based Online Store (OLS) platform, which supports five store formats—inventory, on-demand, hybrid, pop-up, and on-site—and catalogs over 845,129 product options. Underlying capabilities include SSO, SAP Ariba Punchout integration, API and flat-file integrations, PCI/GDPR/CCPA compliance, and SOC 2 Type II audited warehouse operations across 405,000 square feet of US warehouse space (Chicago, Cincinnati, Durham) plus distribution centers in the UK, Netherlands, and India. The company also operates proprietary "Phygital" campaigns that link physical merchandise to QR-coded microsites for engagement and first-party data capture, and functions as one of a select few authorized Patagonia resellers globally.
Brand Fuel operates a sales-led, enterprise-field-sales go-to-market with dedicated account executives, a National Accounts Director, Director of Strategic Sales, and a deep bench of senior sales project managers. Revenue is generated through five streams: one-time branded merchandise sales (markup on products), recurring Company Store programs with minimum annual spend above $100,000 for full-service stores, custom kitting for sales/HR/fundraising teams, professional-services brand experiences (Brand Libs at $250 per cube set; Virtual Team Building at $2,400-$4,500 per session; BrandGood events at $500-$1,500), and Charity Fuel cause-marketing campaigns. Pricing is quote-based, with public pricing disclosed only for experiential products. The company is B Corp certified (87.1% B Impact Assessment score), SOC 2 Type II audited, FDA-registered for warehouse operations, and bootstrapped by its co-founders with no disclosed outside funding.
Brand Fuel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Brand Fuel
- Legal name
- Brand Fuel
- Website
- https://brandfuel.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Brand Fuel is a B Corp-certified promotional merchandise agency that designs custom branded products, manages online company stores, and runs phygital marketing campaigns for enterprise and mid-market clients across the US, UK, and Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Brand Fuel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Raleigh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
Brand Fuel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Branded Merchandise Sales: Direct sale of custom branded merchandise including apparel, accessories, drinkware, and promotional products through company stores, custom kits, and one-off projects. Revenue generated through product markup, fulfillment fees, and service charges.
- Company Store Programs: Recurring revenue from inventory stores, hybrid stores, and on-demand virtual stores. Annual store spend requirement over $100K for full-service programs. Includes platform fees, warehousing, fulfillment, and account management.
- Custom Kitting Services: Custom-designed presentation kits for sales teams, HR onboarding, fundraisers, and marketing campaigns. Revenue from creative design, packaging, procurement, and global shipping/logistics.
- Brand eXperiences: Event-based experiences including virtual team building, volunteerism events, Brand Libs, and experiential marketing activations. Revenue from experience design, branded product giveaways, and event coordination.
- Charity Fuel / Phygital Campaigns: Cause marketing and CSR-focused campaigns combining branded merchandise with charitable giving. Revenue from campaign design, product supply, and microsite development.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Brand Libs interactive experience product |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Team Building sessions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | BrandGood volunteer events |
| Subscription | Annual | Inventory Store (full-service) |
| Subscription | Annual | Hybrid Store (Inventory + On-Demand) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pop-Up Store (short-term) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels14 records
Brand Fuel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brand Fuel is a promotional products and branded merchandise agency that designs, sources, and fulfills custom merchandise programs for enterprise and mid-market clients. Its core offering combines a proprietary online company store platform (with inventory, on-demand, hybrid, and pop-up formats) and global warehousing/fulfillment with branded merchandise, custom kits, Phygital marketing campaigns, brand experiences, and Charity Fuel cause-marketing programs. The company also operates showrooms in Raleigh NC and Virginia Beach VA and is an authorized Patagonia reseller.
Product overview
Brand Fuel is a promotional products and branded merchandise agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services centered around custom merchandise and brand experiences. The core offering includes Branded Merchandise, Company Stores (an end-to-end online platform supporting Inventory, On-Demand, Hybrid, Pop-Up, and On-Site store formats), Custom Kits, Phygital Marketing (QR-enabled physical-digital campaigns), Brand eXperiences (47 event activities including Brand Libs, Virtual Team Building, and volunteer events), Charity Fuel (cause marketing with charitable giving), Showrooms (physical experience spaces), and Global Warehousing & Fulfillment. As an authorized Patagonia reseller, the company also offers premium sustainable apparel. The company positions itself as a strategic partner focused on quality, sustainability, and B Corp values rather than commodity promotional products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Branded Merchandise Custom branded merchandise and promotional products strategically designed, sustainably sourced, and quality-focused to create lasting brand impressions for enterprises, marketing departments, HR, and nonprofits.
- Company Stores (OLS Platform) End-to-end cloud-based branded merchandise store platform with brand control, inventory management, reporting, and fulfillment across inventory, on-demand, hybrid, pop-up, and on-site store formats for enterprise and mid-market clients.
- Custom Kits Custom-designed presentation kits with creative packaging for sales teams, HR onboarding, fundraising, and marketing campaigns, including marketing kits, HR onboarding kits, social impact kits, sales appreciation kits, fundraising kits, and virtual event kits.
- Phygital Marketing Campaigns Turn-key campaigns combining physical branded merchandise with QR codes leading to branded microsites, enabling data capture, survey enhancement, and measurable engagement tracking for marketing activations.
- Brand eXperiences Event-based brand experiences including Brand Libs, Virtual Team Building, Volunteerism, Coffee with the Bachelor, Charity Impact, Paint for Swag, Rock and Roll Team Building, and other interactive activations.
- Charity Fuel Cause marketing and CSR-focused campaigns combining branded merchandise with charitable giving, enabling recipients to select nonprofit impacts and supporting donor and community engagement.
- Patagonia Reseller Program Authorized Patagonia reseller program offering premium outdoor apparel and gear with environmental responsibility alignment for corporate apparel, client gifts, and team gear.
- Global Warehousing & Fulfillment Full-service fulfillment including warehousing, product distribution, kitting, and shipping worldwide with distribution centers in Chicago, Cincinnati, Durham (US), UK, Netherlands, and India.
- Showrooms Interactive showroom experiences in Raleigh NC and Virginia Beach VA where clients can test drive branded merchandise, access new products, and brainstorm with the Brand Fuel creative team.
Quantifiable outcome
- 46.3% increase in online store sales
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Brand Fuel
Customer profileNamed customers30 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Brand Fuel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature4 records
Brand Fuel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- IPPAG (International Partnership for Premiums and Gifts)coreBrand Fuel represents the U.S. as the only stateside member of IPPAG, a carefully vetted group of market-leading promotional products companies across the globe. Provides global reach, local knowledge, responsible sourcing platform, consolidated buying power, and in-country production/fulfillment capabilities.
- Reciprocity RoadcoreBrand Fuel is a founding member of Reciprocity Road, a group of 13 entrepreneurial, community-minded distributors with ~$375 million in combined revenue. Partnership fosters transparency, support, creative collaboration, and sharing, resulting in buying power/client savings, locational advantage, and scale.
- Gabi's PALS (Nonprofit Fulfillment Partner)minorNonprofit packaging company creating meaningful employment for individuals with disabilities. Brand Fuel prioritizes working with this partner for kitting projects and direct mail, supporting inclusive workforce.
- EPI-HAB PhoenixminorNonprofit fulfillment partner for kitting projects, providing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
- 321 CoffeeminorSocial impact organization. Brand Fuel team engagement at events and community partnerships.
- Patagonia (Authorized Reseller)coreOne of a select few authorized Patagonia resellers globally. Partnership requires strict brand guideline compliance and values alignment. Allows clients to co-brand with Patagonia for corporate apparel, client gifts, and team gear.
- Drum Team CollectiveminorPartnership for virtual team building experiences. Includes Drum Team Collective founder Mike McKee (Delta Rae's drummer). Provides rhythm-based team building with keepsake videos.
- Band Together NCminorNonprofit supported through Brand Fuel's corporate giving program. Music-focused nonprofit receiving donations and volunteer support.
- PromoCaresminorNonprofit receiving 3% of Reciprocity Road purchase proceeds. #4Good global events supported through this partnership.
- Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF)minorNonprofit receiving 3% of Reciprocity Road purchase proceeds. Educational foundation for the promotional products industry.
- PromoKitchenminorNonprofit receiving 3% of Reciprocity Road purchase proceeds. Industry community and thought leadership organization.
- PPAI (Promotional Products Association International)coreIndustry's largest not-for-profit trade association with ~15,000 member companies worldwide. Co-President Danny Rosin serves as Board Chair 2026. Leadership role drives industry influence and standards setting.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Brand Fuel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BAMKO: Nationwide branded merchandise distributor offering company stores, kitting, fulfillment, and enterprise client programs across multiple categories. Highly comparable as a full-service distributor targeting enterprise accounts with online store platforms and global sourcing.
- Boundless Group: Marketing execution services provider (formerly OuterBox/Boundless) that includes branded merchandise, print, and company-store capabilities. Comparable as a strategic partner that bundles merchandise with broader marketing and fulfillment services, similar to Brand Fuel's 'strategy-first' positioning.
- National Pen: Long-standing US-based promotional products and print/pens company offering custom-branded merchandise, online stores, and direct-to-SMB and mid-market programs. Comparable as a long-tenured branded merchandise distributor with e-commerce and direct-selling capabilities.
- BrandVia: Promotional products distributor founded with sustainability and corporate social responsibility values, including a 'brand for good' positioning. Closely comparable to Brand Fuel's B Corp-led, ESG-emphasized operating philosophy and similar emphasis on company-store platforms and strategic account relationships.
- American Solutions for Business: National distributor of business products and branded merchandise with a strong direct-sales model and full-service enterprise programs. Directly comparable as a sales-led, full-service distributor with custom company store offerings and large enterprise customer base.
- 4imprint: Publicly traded (NYSE: FOUR), US-headquartered B2B promotional products distributor operating a direct-mail, online-store-led business model with enterprise and SMB reach. Directly comparable as the largest pure-play promotional products distributor with global fulfillment, online company stores, and branded merchandise programs serving the same Fortune-class customer base as Brand Fuel.
- HALO Branded Solutions: One of the largest independent US promotional products distributors with enterprise sales-led motion, global supplier network, and full-service account management. Operates company stores and custom kitting capabilities analogous to Brand Fuel and is a regularly cited competitor across PPAI/ASI industry rankings.
Broad incumbents
- SanMar: Major US apparel and accessories distributor serving promotional products distributors, corporate apparel, and ad specialty markets. More upstream than Brand Fuel but a ubiquitous industry incumbent whose product assortments feed into Brand Fuel-style company stores and corporate apparel programs.
- alphabroder: One of the largest US distributors of apparel, headwear, and promotional products operating as a wholesale supplier, distributor, and now under S&S Activewear. Less directly competitive as a final-mile services distributor but highly comparable as the upstream supplier/incumbent whose customer base overlaps with Brand Fuel distributors.
Emerging players
- Storm Creek: B Corp-certified apparel and merchandise brand producing sustainably made custom-branded clothing and accessories for corporate, university, and nonprofit programs. Comparable as a smaller, values-led player with a sustainability and B Corp brand alignment overlapping Brand Fuel's positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Brand Fuel social profiles
Digital presenceBrand Fuel compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Brand Fuel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Brand Fuel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Brand Fuel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Brand Fuel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Brand Fuel
What does Brand Fuel do?
Brand Fuel is a promotional products and branded merchandise agency that designs, sources, and fulfills custom merchandise programs for enterprise and mid-market clients. Its core offering combines a proprietary online company store platform (with inventory, on-demand, hybrid, and pop-up formats) and global warehousing/fulfillment with branded merchandise, custom kits, Phygital marketing campaigns, brand experiences, and Charity Fuel cause-marketing programs. The company also operates showrooms in Raleigh NC and Virginia Beach VA and is an authorized Patagonia reseller.
Is Brand Fuel a public or private company?
Brand Fuel is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Brand Fuel founded?
Brand Fuel was founded in 1998. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Brand Fuel based?
Brand Fuel is headquartered in Raleigh, United States, in the North America region.
How does Brand Fuel make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Branded Merchandise Sales are the primary driver. The others are company Store Programs, custom Kitting Services, brand eXperiences and charity Fuel / Phygital Campaigns.
Who are Brand Fuel's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BAMKO, Boundless Group, National Pen, BrandVia, American Solutions for Business, 4imprint and HALO Branded Solutions. Broad incumbents are SanMar and alphabroder. Storm Creek is listed as an emerging player.
Does Brand Fuel have an API?
No public API is recorded for Brand Fuel.