Nordzucker and PureCircle Form European Steviasucrose Joint Venture
Nordzucker, Europe´s second biggest sugar producer, and PureCircle of Malaysia, have formed a joint venture, NP Sweet, for the development and marketing of products that combine the natural benefits of both sugar and stevia to meet the fast growing requirements for reduced calorie naturally sweet applications from food and beverage manufacturers across Northern and Eastern Europe.
The 50/50 joint venture draws on the combined resources of both parents. This provides NP Sweet with access to the scale, distribution and sugar technologies of Nordzucker with the world’s leading high purity stevia technologies and product innovation of PureCircle.
PureCircle is a global leader in the production of high purity stevia products. It is estimated that in excess of 80% of the world´s Reb A and other high purity stevia has been produced by PureCircle. Stevia is now being grown for PureCircle in 16 countries across South America, Africa, Asia, and the US.
Lars Bo Jorgensen, general manager of NP Sweet, comments: “We believe that our steviasucrose concepts offer food and beverage producers highly efficient solutions, where sweetening with excellent taste is combined with facilitated production opportunities. Our customers benefit from the partners’ unique and individually strong platforms in stevia technology and sucrose application technology for a broad spectrum of foods and beverages Our technologies are underpinned by integrated supply chains that offer customers sustainability and traceability from field to final application. No other company can offer this.”
Both partners view the creation of NP Sweet as an important vehicle for growth once EU Regulatory clearance for stevia products is achieved. EU clearance is expected before the end of 2011. NP Sweet is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Production of steviasucrose is based in both Scandinavia and Germany. NP Sweet‘s management team is drawn from across the Nordzucker operating regions.
The joint venture follows a similar alliance earlier this year between US-based Cargill and Silver Spoon, which is part of Associated British Foods, which formed an exclusive partnership for the UK distribution and marketing of the Truvia brand of tabletop sweeteners. Developed and pioneered by Cargill, Truvia is a zero calorie sweetener, made with rebiana that originates from the stevia leaf.
