Wisdom Natural Brands isn’t just a name, it’s a lifestyle 

When you envision a true pioneer in any given market, you’ll likely picture a passionate individual armed with ambition, entrepreneurial spirit and a radical idea. That’s exactly how world-leading sweetener manufacturer, Wisdom Natural Brands, was born. Founded in a small suburban garage in Scottsdale, Arizona, Wisdom Natural Brands (Wisdom) was established in 1982 by James May and his wife, Carol. It all started with a trip to South America where James discovered the stevia plant – an ultra-sweet herb native to Paraguay. Recognizing the plant’s unique potential, James and Carol set to work on a groundbreaking new concept that would revolutionize the industry forever: a premium, all-natural sweetener – an idea that was completely alien to the United States at the time.  

“My father, James May, started the company in 1982. He was the one who introduced stevia to the United States,” begins Michael May, Wisdom’s current CEO. “He passed away in 2017, but throughout his life he was introduced all around the world as the ‘Father of Stevia’. He is the one who is often recognized as having started the natural sweetener industry. In the beginning, it was really a push to try to move away from artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and sucralose, and give consumers the choice of a natural alternative. They were able to sell it as a dietary supplement in 1994, and they then created the SweetLeaf brand. I was a child when he started the company, so I grew up with it, and I came back to run the company in 2013.”  

Ever since, the SweetLeaf brand – and stevia as whole – has taken the world by storm, giving birth to the natural foods industry as we know it today. Presently, Wisdom’s portfolio features a vast array of both powdered and liquid stevia sweeteners, as well as a range of monk fruit sweeteners and beverage enhancers, with lots of exciting new products currently in development. In recent news, Wisdom is proud to announce its recent acquisition of Drizzle Honey, Canada’s pure, all-natural superfood honey. This acquisition presents endless opportunities for Wisdom to expand its offerings and experiment with new products and flavor profiles.   

“We have a few different products in the works at the moment,” Michael shares. “We have some beverage syrups that are currently in development and due to be launched later this year. Consumers want more than low or zero calorie now; they want functionality, be it vitamins or minerals or something else. So, we’re developing a range of functional sweeteners, and one of the reasons why we looked at acquiring Drizzle Honey specifically had to do with this focus. Drizzle Honey is interesting because not only is it an all-natural honey, but it’s also a superfood, and you don’t really see superfood honeys on the market. This honey is from Canada and has a thicker consistency – it’s more of a spread than a ‘pour’ – and because of that, we’re able to do lots of things with it. We have a turmeric honey, a cacao honey, berry, ginger spice, and my personal favorite, the cinnamon spice, and they’re all this spreadable raw honey. It dovetails into where we want to position our company going forward; we’re not just offering you what we think is the best sweetener option, we’re offering you something for your lifestyle.”  

Lifestyle partner 

With an increasing number of people prioritizing healthier options, Wisdom’s portfolio supplies perfect alternatives to the sugary, artificial products currently available, allowing its consumers to still satisfy their sweet tooth without compromising their wellbeing. Maintaining its market position, the company is looking to new horizons, constantly innovating and evolving alongside its consumers whilst remaining true to the original attributes that made Wisdom so successful.  

“Later this year, we’re going to be introducing a new campaign, almost like a rebrand in a way, focusing on our SweetLeaf brand and really communicating with our consumers that we are a true lifestyle partner, particularly when it comes to product development,” Michael explains. “We look at what our consumers expect from us and what our consumers are doing, but we also look outside of the sweetener categories and see what other products we can develop.  

“My father being the first person to introduce stevia to the marketplace gave us that first-to-market notoriety; how we maintain that position is by remaining true to ourselves and our core consumer. We focus on the natural channel, ensuring that we stay true to the promise we made to our consumers years ago to provide the highest quality, all-natural products within the space. Everything we take for granted today – natural foods or the concept of ‘food as medicine’ – didn’t exist back in the 1980s, and we feel that it’s very important to maintain that legacy.”  

Goodness, wellness, and deliciousness 

Looking ahead, the spotlight will continue to shine on Wisdom Natural Brands as it leads the natural foods industry. James May and his family’s creation has had a monumental impact on, not merely the industry as a whole, but on consumers all across the globe, introducing the world to the benefits of stevia and advocating for goodness, wellness and, most importantly, deliciousness. The future holds a plethora of exciting new ventures and Michael is enthusiastic to see the company continue to grow and nourish more consumers everywhere.  

“When a lot of companies put on a marketing campaign, it’s very one-directional. I want us to be two-directional. I want to ensure that our consumers feel like they have a voice and that we are creating the types of products that they really want,” Michael says. “We’re really excited about the future. After Covid, this feels like the first year the industry’s coming back to itself in such a way that we can feel excited for the future of the natural products industry and what it can provide. We’re also really excited to see what we can do as a company to better develop our products for our consumers by looking into new markets, channels and categories. That’s really important for us; we can grow by introducing more products and bringing new consumers into our brand.”   

www.wisdomnaturalbrands.com