Premium and specialty consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands are redefining what it means to deliver value. “Premium” is no longer just about price or presentation. Instead, brands are increasingly competing on authenticity, product integrity, and the ability to meet consumers’ growing expectations for health, sustainability, and social impact.
Recent conversations with Ben Mand, CEO at Yerba Madre (formerly Guayakí), and Kristel Corson, Chief Revenue Officer at Adams Group, highlight their approaches to building and maintaining premium positioning in today’s competitive market.
What Defines a Premium Brand When Health and Sustainability Are Baseline?
Health benefits and sustainability are no longer differentiators; they are expected. Over the past five years, consumers have become more informed and discerning, with 76% of global shoppers in 2023 saying transparency is important in their purchase decisions, up from 69% in 2018 (NielsenIQ, 5 Ways Transparency Will Evolve, 2024). In this environment, premium brands must go further. As Yerba Madre CEO Ben Mand explains, the new baseline is not simply avoiding harm but “being responsible, positive stewards who create meaningful impact for communities, people, and the environment.”
For Yerba Madre, the demand for natural energy alternatives is central. Yerba mate delivers caffeine, polyphenols, vitamins, and theobromine in a way that resonates with consumers increasingly wary of sugar-laden, lab-engineered energy drinks. Mand emphasizes that Yerba Madre’s advantage lies in “embracing what nature gives us and putting it in the can,” offering a clean, functional beverage that doesn’t compromise on taste or efficacy.
Adams Group’s Marianne’s avocado oil line emphasizes health through quality and clean processing. As Chief Revenue Officer Kristel Corson notes, “Consumers in the oils category are increasingly aware of how processing impacts the oil they use. They care deeply about the health of such a kitchen staple, particularly since it goes into all the food they consume and provide for their families.” Long before the UC Davis study that exposed widespread adulteration in avocado oils, Marianne’s had differentiated itself by committing to 100% pure, slow-processed oil free of harmful contaminants. Corson calls this less of a trend and more of an “awakening,” as consumers come to expect transparency and scientific integrity in the products they use daily.
Both companies tie their premium identity to sustainability. Yerba Madre invests in reforestation and indigenous partnerships while redesigning its U.S. supply chain to reduce transport miles and packaging waste. Adams Group is balancing sustainability and convenience by offering infinitely recyclable glass packaging where possible, investing in solar energy and water reclamation, and preparing for regenerative sourcing partnerships in Africa and South America.
Balancing Premium and Price
For premium CPG brands, the challenge is not just delivering quality but ensuring consumers see genuine value. As Adams Group’s Kristel Corson explains, “Balancing premium product offerings without compromising quality presents several challenges, but the most significant is cost. Unlike conventional products, where cost can be reduced through shortcuts, a premium product requires investment at every stage of the process.”
Yerba Madre echoes the view that quality is non-negotiable, with modest premiums justified by real investments in people and the planet. CEO Ben Mand notes, “If you’re investing in communities and if you’re investing in reforestation, that isn’t free. Consumers generally recognize that.” He adds that shoppers are increasingly willing to pay slightly more when they know a brand is actively improving communities and ecosystems.
Adams Group relies on its scale and long-standing supplier relationships to offset costs while maintaining integrity. As one of the largest handlers of crude specialty oils and grains, the company has direct access to raw materials at a cost advantage, allowing Marianne’s to limit price increases and introduce innovations such as regenerative organic avocado oil without alienating value-conscious consumers.
Both leaders emphasize that pricing must be anchored in long-term trust. For Mand, that means never sacrificing product quality for short-term gains. For Corson, it means raising prices only when necessary and ensuring consumers understand the link between cost and uncompromising quality.
Marketing and Brand Messaging
Premium brands face the added challenge of communicating both product benefits and social mission without diluting either message.
Mand underscores the need to “match the moment.” Consumers initially buy products to meet a need, such as natural energy. Customer loyalty is built. “Impact-related messaging is typically a loyalty driver, not a trial driver. You’ve got to first address a fundamental need, then build advocacy around your mission,” says Mand. Yerba Madre reflects this by blending playful, engaging marketing with longer-form storytelling that highlights its regeneration work, tailoring the message to context.
Adams Group has expanded its line of premium pantry staples and is entering direct-to-consumer marketing. The rebrand of Marianne’s Harvest places purity, clean processing, and regenerative organic certification at the forefront. Corson notes, “At the heart of our rebrand is a commitment to honesty and education—using packaging as the first touchpoint, with digital platforms offering a deeper dive into our sustainability and health commitments. We’ve never been a brand that chases trends without sound science to back them up.”
Supply Chain Resilience as Brand Differentiator
Finally, both companies see supply chain resilience as integral to premium positioning.
Yerba Madre is localizing production to shorten supply routes, cut costs, and reduce emissions. Mand explains, “Reducing miles is key. It’s fewer stops, producing closer to where the consumer is, consolidating fulfillment. Those decisions save money and are better for the environment.”
Adams Group is building resilience through geographic diversification and supplier redundancy, while also investing in sustainability at the plant level. Corson highlights, “We’ve reduced plant energy usage by 50% with the addition of a five-acre solar field and reduced local water dependence by 75% through our on-site water reclamation plant.”
For both brands, supply chain resilience reinforces credibility. Consumers can trust that products will be available, consistent, accessible, and produced in line with stated values, even amid global disruptions.
Conclusion
Premium positioning today goes beyond surface-level cues like sleek packaging or inflated price points. It requires authentic product differentiation, credible sustainability practices, and strategic pricing discipline.
Yerba Madre shows how a mission-driven beverage company can command loyalty by pairing functional benefits with environmental stewardship. Adams Group demonstrates how supplier relationships, product purity, and innovation can set a new standard for a kitchen-staple category long undermined by inconsistency.
Together, their insights point to the future of premium CPG: brands that not only meet fundamental consumer needs but also earn long-term trust by aligning quality, impact, and value.
At 3P Partners, we help food and beverage companies build leadership teams that can position brands to meet consumers’ shifting expectations and values. If this resonates with where your business is headed, click here to connect with our team.
Kristel Corson | Adams Group
Kristel Corson is the Chief Revenue Officer at Adams Group, a fifth-generation, family-owned food company crafting with integrity from seed to shelf. She leads the company’s growth strategy including scaling its specialty ingredient business and driving consumer expansion through Marianne’s line of pantry essentials.
A maverick in the consumer industry with nearly 30 years of experience, Kristel has held leadership roles at Traditional Medicinals, Clover Sonoma, Clif Bar & Co., Jamba Juice, and LeapFrog, where she consistently propelled brand growth, innovation, and consumer engagement. She also serves on the board of Naturally NorCal and is active in One Step Closer 2 (OSC2), both supporting the natural product industry and brands.
A graduate of San Francisco State University, Kristel lives in Sonoma County with her husband and two children.
Ben Mand | Yerba Madre
Ben Mand is the CEO of Yerba Madre, an organic beverage company specializing in yerba mate products. With over 20 years of experience building and leading responsible businesses, Mand has made an impact as a change agent, driving improvements in health, sustainability and social impact, while delivering consistent sales and profit growth.
Prior to Yerba Madre, Mand was the former CEO of Harmless Harvest, where he more than doubled the company’s business in under four years, successfully transforming the company from a brand solely focused on coconut water to a leader in premium functional beverages and plant-based dairy. Previously, he oversaw all marketing, innovation and creative strategy for Plum Organics, the organic baby food brand, quickly accelerating it from #3 to #1 in its category. Additionally, Mand has worked in various brand marketing and innovation roles at leading companies, including General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, and Interbrand. His career started in the late 1990s when he took a sabbatical from consulting to volunteer at an organic coffee farm in Costa Rica, where he discovered a passion for the food he grew by working closely with local farmers.