Wisdom Natural Brands names Aaron Henderson CEO to lead rebrand, expansion
Plans include refreshing the company’s identity to appeal to a younger generation and strengthening its presence across both retail and digital platforms.
U.S.A. – Wisdom Natural Brands, the parent company of the SweetLeaf® line of stevia and natural sugar substitutes, has appointed Aaron Henderson as Chief Executive Officer.
Henderson, a long-time company consultant and board member, will lead a major rebranding and expansion campaign aimed at strengthening SweetLeaf’s position in the growing natural sweetener market.
He succeeds Michael May, a member of the founding family, who has served as CEO since 2021. May will continue as Chairman of the Board, ensuring continuity as the company enters its next phase of growth.
Henderson’s relationship with Wisdom spans nearly 25 years. He began as the company’s Director of Marketing in the late 1990s, two decades after Wisdom founder James A. May Sr. introduced stevia to the U.S. market.
Since then, he has guided multiple projects as a consultant through The Touch Agency, a brand-building firm specializing in natural foods, where he spent 18 years, including five as CEO.
Henderson joined Wisdom’s board in 2024 as the company launched a strategic growth initiative.
As CEO, Henderson will oversee a comprehensive brand update, portfolio expansion, and omnichannel strategy designed to broaden SweetLeaf’s consumer reach.
Plans include refreshing the company’s identity to appeal to a younger generation and strengthening its presence across both retail and digital platforms. He will also focus on expanding the leadership team to support the company’s evolving ambitions.
In a statement, Henderson reflected on his long history with the company, noting that “Wisdom both pioneered and popularized the use of stevia in the U.S., reshaping the sweetener market by providing consumers with a natural alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.”
He added that his new role felt like a full-circle moment, giving him the chance to modernize the brand with innovative products while staying true to its mission of improving people’s health.
May emphasized that Henderson’s experience made him the right choice to lead the company’s next chapter.
After more than two decades of working and consulting with Wisdom, “Aaron knows our business inside and out,” he said, pointing to Henderson’s extensive work with other natural food brands as an added strength.
With the stevia market growing at a 9.7% CAGR, May concluded, Henderson is “unquestionably the right person to drive our growth.”
Wisdom Natural Brands, based in Gilbert, Arizona, has been a pioneer in the industry for over 40 years with its SweetLeaf brand of stevia and monk fruit products.
SweetLeaf has earned 38 awards for taste and innovation and is available in powder, granular, and liquid forms. All products are non-GMO, kosher, gluten-free, and contain no artificial sweeteners.
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