Diversity comes in more ways than one for Stanley 1913’s Chief Product and Sustainability Officer Graham Nearn.
The executive — who has been with the brand for over five years — views the diversity of the company’s category, geography and products as a core part of Stanley’s current evolution, Nearn told Retail Dive in an interview. The century-old brand has been vying to expand its reputation beyond being a hot cup company and keep the momentum going from its water bottle fame.
Within hydration as a category, that means leaning into more than just water cups.
“There's obviously water as a component, but there's also increasingly nutritional sides of hydration as well,” Nearn said, noting that the brand’s shoppers were consuming protein powders by mixing them with water or other liquids. “And that showed us that consumers aren't just wanting one product for everything. In a choiceful and discerning world, consumers are also looking for different products to solve different use cases.”
That’s part of a larger trend that spans geographies in which shoppers are more focused on wellness and nutrition, the executive said. To meet those needs, Stanley debuted a new product franchise in February, dubbed the “Vitalize Collection,” meant to support travel-friendly wellbeing and featuring the company’s shaker bottle that launched in 2025.
Along with carry solutions such as a backpack and tote bag, the franchise includes a new belt and pocket to secure tumblers. Stanley noticed the friction consumers were having when it came to carrying the daily essentials they’ve accumulated from the brand, Nearn said.
And there’s even diversity in how Stanley’s customers travel and what their beverage rituals look like based on geography — another way in which the brand has to think through its product development.
For example, North American customers seek out beverage containers that are more car friendly, versus the more compact travel needs of customers in Europe or Asia who are more likely to commute via trains, buses or even by walking, Nearn said. Additionally, the travel needs surrounding coffee and tea can vary as well.
“We've made significant investments in our cafe category, which is designed to support those ritualization moments,” the executive said.
The ritualization of beverages also plays a major role in sports, which is an area that Stanley has dug into over the past year. The brand has marketed itself to attract sports fans across the world, including through a multiyear partnership with European soccer club Paris Saint-Germain, a deal with basketball celebrity athlete Caitlin Clark and a collaboration with women’s sports organization Togethxr.
“We want to recognize and make sure that when we're spending resources, time, money, energy, we're spending it with partners and platforms that allow women to not only of course get great product, of course be unbelievably hydrated on or off the court or on or off the field, but also are able to express themselves and align themselves with causes and values that are shared,” Nearn explained to Retail Dive.
For Nearn, the focus going forward continues to be on capturing all of Stanley’s potential.
“We've already been here since 1913 ... so we get to carry the baton for just a little moment in time to get us a little bit closer to where that potential really should sit,” Nearn added. “It's a fantastic privilege.”
