PureCircle Make Investment of $100m to Bolster Stevia Supply
An additional investment of $100 million has been made by Stevia producer PureCircle to fund its agronomy programme in order to promote its mission of creating the world’s largest natural stevia supply.
The investment will focus on expansion efforts to more than 15 growing regions around the world and further development of the company’s farming footprint outside of China, which will result in a 10,000 hectare pipeline that provides customers with year-round access to the highest quality PureCircle stevia leaf extract.
“This investment highlights our commitment to providing our customers with the largest, natural supply of stevia leaf extract,” said Jordi Ferre, PureCircle’s chief operating officer. “We are diversifying the countries we grow in to meet the needs of the food and beverage industry as the demand for naturally grown stevia continues to rise. Our PureCircle stevia agronomy programme has been the foundation for these expansion efforts, supplying us with the knowledge we needed to take this pivotal step towards year-round farming.”
Investments in the PureCircle agronomy programme are focused in three areas: scaling naturally through sustainable agricultural expansion to more than 15 growing regions worldwide; research and development, including breeding the best new stevia varieties through traditional plant breeding methods and identifying optimal growing practices for stevia production; plus training farmers, giving them planting materials and supporting them through other means to ensure the sustainable success of the company’s farming partners.
“These three areas really encompass how we approach growing stevia,” explained Faith Son, PureCircle’s vice-president of global marketing and innovation. “There is real science behind how we grow the best tasting stevia naturally and do it in a way that’s sustainable and benefits farmers and their communities. This investment allows us to stay at the forefront of innovation and deliver great tasting products at a scale that fits with the needs of global brands.”
PureCircle is committed to creating the best, sweetener made from the stevia plant, which is natural and has zero-calories. The company is the world’s leading producer of high purity stevia ingredients. PureCircle’s goal is to reduce calories with a naturally sweet option that doesn’t take away from the taste.
