Stanley 1913’s explosive rise to fame among influencers, TikTokers, and moms between 2019 and 2023—and the tenfold revenue growth that ensued—has been well documented.

What isn’t as widely understood is what goes on behind the scenes in the aftermath of a cultural wave like the one that led Stanley’s 40-ounce insulated straw cup to stardom.

Kate Ridley, chief brand officer of Stanley 1913’s parent company PMI WW Brands, LLC, joined Stanley 1913 in January as the brand’s growth leveled off. Since then, she’s spearheaded partnerships with celebrities like Post Malone and K-Pop star Jennie Kim.

She’s also been working alongside Graham Nearn, chief product and sustainability officer at PMI WW Brands, LLC, to address issues both internally and externally related to the brand’s increasing and relatively new fanbase.

That “professional marriage,” as the two describe their relationship, helps the executive leadership vet new partnerships, give tough love when necessary, and keep things on track in a way that honors the brand’s 112-year history.

“We have to take that legacy brand history and make sure that it’s relevant every single day to consumers now, and that means we have to convince our executive partners very frequently on concepts that can be quite squishy,” Ridley said. “We have to convince the CFO to invest in sustainability. We have to convince the brand president to sometimes make intuitive decisions about celebrities and athletes to invest in.”

Having someone who speaks a “shared language” and has some pre-alignment on certain topics helps make those conversations go more smoothly, Ridley explained, referencing her relationship with Nearn.

The partnership with Jennie Kim was a good recent example of this, Nearn said. When Stanley’s Asia-Pacific team approached global execs about the possibility of working with Kim, Nearn and Ridley both knew it was the right call—understanding the message it would send to young consumers.

“That’s when the [professional marriage] is at its best, when we’re able to bring that kind of insight to it to a really skilled executive team who just might not have the cultural insight,” Nearn explained.