What happens when a man of modern healthcare meets the holistic healing wisdom of an ancient people? In the case of James A. May, a former healthcare executive, the meeting forever changed his life, both personally and professionally.
Mr. May founded Wisdom Natural Brands, parent company of SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener and Wisdom of the Ancients herbal teas. Wisdom Natural Brands (WNB) is a leading U.S. manufacturer of stevia and offers a full line of SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener products, available in convenient single-serving packets, liquids, powder, tabs and concentrate, including the best-selling SweetLeaf Stevia and Organic Stevia Sweeteners, SweetLeaf Sweet Drops Liquid Stevia and SweetLeaf Water Drops. WNB has introduced millions of people to the great-tasting, better-for-you sweetness of stevia.
Wisdom of the Ancients is one of the most respected herbal tea lines in the natural industry. It was the original company brand, started nearly 35 years ago when Mr. May first began selling herbal teas from the trunk of his car. Quite an amazing business growth since then.
SweetLeaf was launched in 1981 when my late husband, James A. May Sr., was introduced to the stevia leaf in Paraguay and began to dream of a world where sugar could be naturally replaced. This was no small dream, but like all dreamers Jim believed anything was possible. Looking back now, I realise he was right.
Jim was working in healthcare and I was home with our five young children when the stevia leaf called Jim to a greater mission in life. A Peace Corps worker who had just returned from Paraguay persuaded Jim to taste a stevia leaf and enjoy its sweet, delicate flavour. It was that moment when our lives and destiny changed forever.
We believed so strongly in this small sweet leaf that we sold all our worldly belongings, except our home and one car, and tucked away a very small amount of money to barely sustain our family. Friends and family thought we were crazy. Thinking back, it sounds impulsive now, but my husband was persuasive and truly believed this leaf could change people’s lives for the better. We had no income for three years. That’s right. Zero. It was risky, but we believed we were meant to introduce the world to this sweet herb with its incredible benefits to the human body.
In the 1980s, Americans were searching for a safe alternative to sugar. Jim and I became true believers in this critical need. We knew stevia was a better alternative to diets high in sugars and artificial sweeteners, and it simply tasted great. We began working to create a formula that could be used as an alternative while ensuring it contained no artificial ingredients. This was no easy task.
Whoever said patience is a virtue was right. The journey has been filled with twists and turns. We started by packaging and labelling herbs in our garage with the help of our young children. Our son Michael, now President of the company, remembers those days well. Jim persuaded local health food stores to carry our new stevia products by taking stevia, yerba maté and other herbs to stores and distributors in the back of our car.
Later, the FDA attempted to ban stevia imports into the U.S. It felt as though all the walls were closing in and Jim’s dream was turning into a nightmare. Still, we kept putting one foot forward. With the help of our congressional delegates, we became the first company to earn FDA GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) designation in 2008. This allowed our product to be called a sweetener in the United States rather than a dietary supplement. It was exactly what we needed. We celebrated by working harder and continuing to grow.
Today, sweetener aisles in natural and mainstream grocery stores worldwide carry our products. I still walk by and smile, thinking of the path it took to get here.
In recent years there has been a major shift in attitudes toward added sugars and their impact on health. The American Heart Association, USDA, FDA and the World Health Organization recommend reductions in added sugar consumption. These efforts highlight the connection between dietary choices and chronic disorders, including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Thousands of papers have been written about the safety and benefits of stevia, and millions of users experience its benefits every day.
Our dream of making the world a sweeter place has become a reality. We cherish our relationship with you and with doctors and healthcare professionals who provide better solutions for reducing added sugars in their patients’ diets.
Our 35-year journey reminds me of the Robert Frost poem The Road Not Taken:
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.”
We are grateful to all our customers for travelling this road with us and continuing to make a meaningful difference in the lives of countless people seeking a better alternative to excess sugars while maintaining a high quality of life.
Carol May, CEO
SweetLeaf Stevia
