Wisdom Natural Brands, parent company of the SweetLeaf® brand of natural sugar substitutes, has acquired Canada-based Drizzle Honey, a provider of sustainably sourced raw and superfood honey products.
The transaction adds a complementary line to Wisdom’s natural sweetener portfolio and opens the door for U.S. distribution of Drizzle products at a time of strong growth in the honey category.
Drizzle produces 100% pure, unprocessed, bee-friendly honey sourced exclusively from beekeepers who place their hives away from synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.
Products include white raw and golden raw honeys; raw honey infused with organic superfoods such as ginger, turmeric, cacao and berries; and craft products such as cinnamon-spiced honey and hot honey infused with spicy crushed chilies – all free of allergens, added sugar, preservatives, artificial ingredients and GMOs.
The Drizzle line is currently distributed in 1,200 retail stores in Canada and through the company’s online store. Wisdom’s acquisition will extend the brand’s reach to the U.S. market, where more than 11,000 Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, Publix, Amazon and other locations carry SweetLeaf stevia, monk fruit and other natural sweeteners.
The addition of a honey brand to Wisdom’s portfolio aligns directly with the company’s focus on providing healthy alternatives to refined sugar while also expanding its footprint into one of today’s highest-growth natural sweetener categories.
According to Nielsen sales data, honey sales exceeded $1 billion in 2023, marking strong dollar sales growth for the second consecutive year. Organic and raw honey logged double digit dollar sales gains during 2023, and raw honey accounted for 35% of category volume compared to 18% for conventional honey over the same 12-month period.
“Honey fits perfectly into our line of natural sweeteners, and Drizzle Honey adds bonus wellness and environmental benefits by providing raw honey that retains more of its natural nutrients, line extensions with health-boosting superfoods, and sustainable beekeeping practices that are critical to maintaining pollinator populations,” said Michael May, CEO of Wisdom Natural Brands. “It’s an ideal addition to the options we offer to consumers looking for natural ways to sweeten their food.”
Drizzle is a female-founded business that donates 1% of profits to pollinator research and protection and achieved Certified B Corporation status in 2019. It was founded by former environmental scientist and ‘Queen Bee’ Aja Horsley, who launched the company as an offshoot of a rooftop beekeeping project.
“We’ve spent the past eight years building Drizzle into a solid presence in Canada, and we knew it was time to expand to the U.S.,” Horsley said. “With its decades-long commitment to natural sweeteners and established distribution of its SweetLeaf products in both natural and mainstream groceries, Wisdom is perfectly positioned to introduce our honey and its unique health and sustainability benefits to U.S. consumers as well as to continue growing our market share in Canada.”