Anticipation, novelty and luxury – these are the pillars of Panty By Post-ism.

Based in Vancouver, Panty By Post is exactly what it sounds like – undies in the mail. Sign up online and each month you’ll receive a sexy little package with mystery within.

“My dog’s stool is firmer!”

To you and me, that doesn’t mean much. If anything, it ranks among the things we don’t need to know. But for a guy in the pet food business, those words are honey-dipped.

The Cupcake. Has there ever, in the history of confection, been a better-defined brand? All that raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens stuff. Tea parties. Sprinkles.

Frankly, it’s about time someone took a swing at those little pink paper cups. And Butch Bakery is the contender.

What group would be complete without a friend who never has cash? They come in two models – the I’ll-just-put-it-on-my-AmEx and the I’ll-hit-you-back-next-time. One saps your dignity while the other seizes your dough. But if you had an account with Venmo, all you’d have to do is text 646.863.9557 with a message saying “Who” and “How Much.”

With so many brands to choose from, nearly everyone has a favorite beer; New Belgium Brewing has a number of powerful fans. Literally. This environmentally-conscious company is the first wind-powered brewery in the US, and one that operates on a core purpose: “to operate a profitable brewery which makes our love and talent manifest.”

Having great clothes is a goal that should be easy for everyone to attain. But for people with disabilities, fashion poses special challenges, and finding clothes that fit well and make dressing and undressing easy can be difficult and frustrating. The Fashion Moves Project is staging a design competition that is aimed at providing solutions for the 15% of our population with disabilities.

We all like to feel good in our clothes. Challenger Brand Me to We Style wants us to also feel good about our impact on the world. Described as “custom apparel that fights poverty,” the clothes this company creates are responsive not only to environmental concerns but also to our social consciences.

As a group, “bean counters” have always been disparaged for their single-minded focus on the bottom line. But coffee company Dean’s Beans has learned to count their beans while serving a larger mission. This Challenger Brand is “dedicated to providing coffee, cocoa and more through ethical buying, progressive development projects and sound ecological practices.”

The health and beauty section of your favorite retailer undoubtedly includes an impressive assortment of men’s grooming products, including a wide variety of shaving creams and gels. But one Challenger Brand is trying to cut through the foam and take its place among the big boys: Cremo Cream, the “astonishingly superior shave cream.”

OK, so Challenger Brands are working to bring their companies to the forefront, pushing aside the big guys and promoting their own brands to steal the market and grow profits. Right? In the case of Tappening, the answer is an unqualified sort of.

Think about it: would you want to re-use silverware several times a day without washing it? Or repeatedly insert a germ-laden object, contaminated with Candida Albicans, E. coli and Streptococcus, into your mouth? Bocca Pura doesn’t think so.

Perhaps you know an adventurous kid who once ate pet food on a dare. Most of us would not be tempted to do so, and we probably don’t even want to know what’s in the food we provide for our pets. Blackwing for Pets understands our squeamishness. The company’s motto, “Meaty Treats with a Conscience,” explains its basic premise: challenging the status quo by providing natural treats for pets.