From an uptick in corporate IT spendingto a rise in merger activity, pockets of the economy are definitely showing signs of life. But the U.S. personal savings rate remains elevated, and actual job growthis a distant dream. Consumer-dependent industries could struggle for some time yet yet, notwithstanding some excellent performances from McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), and other value-focused companies.

A recent U.S. News & World Reportarticle highlighted less obvious 10 consumer-goods names that have grown revenue and gained market share since the recession started in December 2007. However the broad economy may move, the odds favor these companies' continued outperformance -- good news for management and investors alike.

In the table below, I've listed six of those companies. Interestingly, whether they're widely recognized or relatively unknown, their modest size makes yet another argument for sticking with small- and mid-cap stocksto boost your returns.

Company

Market Cap

Product Categories

2007 Sales Growth

2008 Sales Growth

TTM Sales Growth

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (Nasdaq: GMCR)

$3.2 B

Specialty coffee & brewing systems

51.6%

46.4%

56.1%

Hansen Natural (Nasdaq: HANS)

$3.4 B

Nonalcoholic specialty beverages

49.3%

14.3%

9.7%

TreeHouse Foods

$1.1 B

Packaged foods & sauces

23.3%

29.6%

9.5%

Jarden (NYSE: JAH)

$2.4 B

Home, recreation & outdoor

21.2%

15.5%

(2.8%)

Hasbro

$3.9 B Continued...