LONDON— In anticipation of a rapid rise in stevia demand, PureCircle opened new headquarters in London and signed a UK distribution agreement with Prinova Europe (formerly known as Premium Ingredients Int’l).
The company expects stevia demand to increase sharply once EU grants approval for high-purity stevia ingredients. That approval is expected to come by the end of 2011. PureCircle has stepped up its application support for customers preparing for launches across Europe. France, which led the EU with a temporary approval for stevia sweeteners, has experienced rapid growth in stevia awareness and early market adoption in the low calorie sweetener category. Similar activity is anticipated across Europe, including the UK which is one of the largest markets for sweeteners in Europe.
Jordi Ferre, President of PureCircle’s Commercial Division said: “PureCircle recognized early on the European Union’s potential for rapid growth, and responded by establishing strong joint ventures with leading sugar producers. We are now pleased to take another important step by establishing PureCircle’s new business entity in the UK. Our direct UK presence will enable us to partner with customers across Europe. Sales, marketing, and application support will all be available through the UK operations further demonstrating PureCircle’s industry leading ability to provide solutions to customers throughout product development stages.
Through its new distribution agreement with Prinova, PureCircle expects its UK reach to be further extended.
