OAK BROOK, Ill. — PureCircle, producer of high-purity stevia ingredients for the global food-and- beverage industry, has announced a $100 million additional investment towards its PureCircle Stevia Agronomy Program in support of creating the world’s largest supply of natural stevia.
The new investment will help the company expand to more than 15 growing regions around the world and further its farming space beyond China, resulting in a total of 10,000 hectares of stevia-producing land.
“This investment highlights our commitment to providing our customers with the largest, natural supply of stevia-leaf extract,” says Jordi Ferre, PureCircle’s COO. “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 Program has been the foundation for these expansion efforts, supplying us with the knowledge we needed to take this pivotal step towards year-round farming.”
The PureCircle Stevia Agronomy Program focuses on three key areas: scaling naturally — creating sustainable agricultural expansion; research and development — finding new and more optimal growing methods to grow the best-possible stevia varieties; and farmers — providing partnering farmers with the training and planting materials needed to ensure their success.
“These three areas really encompass how we approach growing stevia,” says 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.”
