Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gabe Scuderi has been “a man on a mission,” according to his daughter. An employee at a Lysol factory in New Jersey, Scuderi saw that he wasn’t just making a disinfecting product, he was on the front lines of fighting the pandemic. It served as a higher calling, transforming his job into a purpose.

In many ways, Scuderi’s story parallels the experience we’ve had at the Consumer Brands Association. Our job was to rebuild a struggling organization that we felt the industry still needed. But our purpose was to unite the CPG industry — food, beverage, household cleaning and personal care. The companies that make these products are more alike than different, and placing a sharp focus on the issues they shared — from supply chain complexities to packaging sustainability concerns — would meaningfully bring them together.

Uniting the industry behind a pro-consumer, pro-growth agenda was central to launching Consumer Brands. Our objective was never to restore GMA. It was to replace — and really reimagine — what the association could be.

Uniting the industry behind a pro-consumer, pro-growth agenda was central to launching Consumer Brands. Our objective was never to restore the erstwhile Grocery Manufacturers Association. It was to replace — and really reimagine — what the association could be.

That was the vision that kept our existing membership committed to the organization. It also served to recruit diverse new members into the fold. A range of companies from across the industry — from Campbell Soup Company to Molson Coors and Sargento to The Honest Company — have joined what they see as a totally new organization. We’ve even gone beyond the CPG industry, with companies including Amazon and Instacart at the table. The momentum we’ve created has resulted in more than a 30% increase in membership in the last year alone.

Of course, when we relaunched as the Consumer Brands Association in January 2020, we had no way of knowing what was coming just two months later. And while the pandemic upended the CPG industry, forcing it into a race to meet incredible demand, it also crystallized the value of being united.

Consumer Brands has been proud to help CPG deliver in a time of crisis. The organization we became at the beginning of 2020 was better prepared to support the industry as it supported homebound Americans. We appreciate the comments from members in Megan Wilson’s article in Bloomberg: Matt Farrell, chairman, president and CEO of new member Church & Dwight, shared, “They proved their mettle this past year. They are clearly plugged in in Washington,” and P&G’s Carolyn Tastad, group president of North America, said that Consumer Brands “played a huge role in keeping the industry together in responding to the COVID challenges.”

We now represent 73 CPG companies with nearly 2,000 brands. But the most important number to us will always be one. One industry, united.

Even as we emerge from crisis, I believe that value in a united industry will remain clear. I am validated in that belief by the 18 new CPG members who have joined Consumer Brands, creating a stronger association — and by virtue of that a stronger industry — for the future.

We now represent 73 CPG companies with nearly 2,000 brands. But the most important number to us will always be one. One industry, united.

The CPG industry is stronger together. Learn more about Consumer Brands’ members and how your company can be part of furthering our momentum by checking out our membership benefits or reaching out to us directly at [email protected].