Investor

PureCircle is pleased to provide this update on the latest developments in the global stevia market.

Stevia usage is expanding into a broadening range of applications worldwide. According to Mintel more than 60 new products containing stevia ingredients have been launched in the first two months of 2010, an increase of 36 per cent over the same period in 2009 with the beverage category up more than 140 per cent. With the support of major food and beverage companies around the world, stevia is continuing to gain awareness and share within the market place.

Following Pepsi's successful launches and expansion of SobeLifewater 0 calorie and Tropicana's Trop 50, the Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership has added another major brand to the list of stevia sweetened products. In February the joint venture launched Lipton Iced Tea Lemon and Green Tea Peach Mango. The products are 100 per cent natural, with no artificial flavours, artificial colours or preservatives.

The successful delivery of beverages using Reb A has led to its introduction into new categories. In the US new products in Unilever's Wish-Bone salad dressing range include stevia Reb A as an ingredient. These new products are available in such varieties as Italian and Red Wine Vinaigrette. In Australia a leading food retailer, Coles, has launched new, lighter buns made using high purity Reb A with sugar. 'Living Lighter Hot Cross Buns' contain 25 per cent fewer calories than standard Coles Fruit Hot Cross buns while delivering the same taste.

Tabletop is another category experiencing the global momentum of stevia. Heavy USA marketing spend by stevia tabletop brands estimated in excess of $57m in media over the past twelve months has helped continue the advance of stevia's market share in the low calorie sweetener category which in turn has led to the introduction of leading brands in new markets. PureVia tabletop brand, previously available in the United States, Australia and Mexico, has now expanded into France following the recent approval of the use of Reb A in the tabletop category. The expansion into France further demonstrates the growing global interest in stevia's all natural, great tasting, zero calorie sweetness.

PureCircle Limited
Magomet Malsagov, Managing Director +60 1 2388 8049
William Mitchell, Finance Director +44 7974 005 163

Westport Communications +44 20 7065 2690
Alan Frame alan@westportcomms.com
Jeanette Bishop jeanette@westportcomms.com

RFC Corporate Finance Ltd +61 8 9480 2500
Stephen Allen

 

PureCircle changes in its senior sales and marketing organisation to better support customers and developing markets.  

• Mr Jordi Ferre, VP Sales PureCircle USA with responsibility for the Americas, will now report directly into the Group CEO.
   
• Mr Jason Hecker, currently Director of Marketing for PureCircle USA, is appointed Director of Marketing for the Group, reporting directly into the CEO.  

• Mr Peter Milsted is appointed VP Sales for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, reporting into the CEO. His specific focus will be to help customers prepare for launches as regulatory clearance momentum builds across the region. 

• Mr Chris Hession, currently VP Sales Australia, is appointed VP Sales for the Asia Pacific region with emphasis on the important China market. Mr Hession will re-locate to Shanghai.

As part of the re-organisation, Mr Peter Milsted has resigned from his role as Group Sales & Marketing Director and as an Executive Director of the Company with immediate effect.

Enquiries:

PureCircle Limited
Magomet Malsagov, Group CEO +60 1 2388 8049
William Mitchell, Finance Director +44 7974 005 163

Alan Frame, Westport Communications +44 20 7065 2690

Steve Allen RFC Corporate Finance Ltd +61 4179 03115
 

Imperial Sugar Company & PureCircle Limited launch Natural Sweet Ventures, to deliver "all the sweetness of sugar, but with fewer calories, naturally"

PureCircle Limited (LSE: PURE) - Imperial Sugar Company and PureCircle Limited are pleased to announce the launch of Natural Sweet Ventures LLC ("Natural Sweet" ), a joint venture created between Imperial, one of the largest marketers of refined sugar in the NAFTA region, and PureCircle, the global leader in the production of high purity stevia products. The exclusive North American joint venture will be the first ingredients company to combine the natural benefits of both sugar and stevia to create an extensive line of reduced calorie natural sweet applications for the food and beverage industry: "All the sweetness of sugar, but with fewer calories, naturally".
 
Consumers looking for natural sweetness with reduced calories

Consumers continue to love sugar. Consumers trust natural sugar and the natural sweet taste it brings to their favorite products. Rightly, natural sugar is at the core of sweet ingredients in Food and Beverages. This natural sweetness is why so many companies are switching back to sugar in their products.

Natural Sweet Ventures' products provide a sugar option with additional benefits:

- Same sweetness with fewer calories
- Natural and GMO-free
- Lower glycemic index

Meeting consumer needs with proprietary innovation

Both Imperial and PureCircle have rich heritages in developing proprietary technologies tied to natural, sweet innovations. Considerable research and development, intellectual property resources and refining expertise have been combined to create a proprietary technology platform. This provides Natural Sweet customers with flexibility in developing innovative applications. Natural Sweet Ventures' product line delivers benefits of cane sugar and stevia to food and beverage manufacturers across North America, including:

- Liquid form - excellent for beverage or as a replacement for current liquid sweeteners

- Crystallised form - ideal for syrup, spray-on, dairy, many baking and confection applications that rely on sugar for product performance

- Variety of calorie reduction levels - allows formulation to specific calorie levels that best suit the application

- All products are 100 per cent natural, have reduced caloric levels, have a lower glycemic index, have no GMO, are temperature and pH stable, have uniform dispersion of both sugar and stevia

All Natural Sweet Ventures' products will carry the trusted endorsements of both Stevia by PureCircle and the Imperial Crown trademarks.

The Natural Sweet Venture

Natural Sweet Ventures is a 50:50 Joint Venture between Imperial and PureCircle. The Board of Directors and Operating management team will be drawn from the two companies.

Natural Sweet Ventures' products will be produced at Imperial's state-of-the-art Port Wentworth, Georgia, USA refinery and marketed across North America by the combined sales teams of Imperial and PureCircle.

Magomet Malsagov, CEO & President of PureCircle Limited commented:"When we were looking for a partner for the important North America market there was really only one choice. Imperial stood out above the crowd for its commitment to innovation, natural sweeteners, outstanding customer service and next generation natural sugars. We are delighted to be partnering with Imperial in Natural Sweet"

John C. Sheptor, President and CEO of Imperial Sugar said: "We are delighted to partner with PureCircle, the global leader in providing high purity stevia products. The Natural Sweet Ventures' product line is an attractive proposition for customers seeking lower calorie, natural sweetening solutions. Natural Sweet is a complement to Imperial's core sugar  business and consistent with our strategy to expand value-added natural offerings for customers and enhance shareholder value. This exclusive partnership gives Natural Sweet a first mover advantage as we collaborate with customers to deliver products that meet their distinct needs."

About Imperial

Imperial Sugar Company is one of the largest refiners, processors and marketers of refined sugar in the United States to food manufacturers, retail grocers and foodservice distributors. The Company markets products nationally under the Imperial(R), Dixie Crystals(R) and Holly(R) brands. For more information about Imperial Sugar, visit www.imperialsugar.com and www.iscnewsroom.com.

About PureCircle

PureCircle is the global leader in the production and delivery of high purity stevia products. Stevia is now being grown for PureCircle in 15 countries across South America, Africa, and Asia, providing a sustainable cash crop for rural farming communities in each region. PureCircle's USA headquarters are in Oakbrook, Chicago, Illinois and the Group's global headquarters are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For more information about PureCircle, please visit www.purecircle.com

About Stevia

Stevia is a plant from the chrysanthemum family that originates from Paraguay in South America. It has been used as a natural sweetener and flavour enhancer for many centuries. In 2008 high purity (over 95 per cent) Rebaudioside A, a single molecule from the stevia plant, was granted FDA GRAS (generally regarded as safe) status for use as a sweetener ingredient in beverage and food products. On a weight basis high purity Rebaudioside A is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, has no calories, has a low glycemic index and is heat and pH stable.

Since FDA authorization, stevia sweetened products have rapidly grown in demand within the United States. For example: Nielsen data for year end 2009 show stevia sweetened products comprised 14 per cent of the USA tabletop sweetener market.

Enquiries

Magomet Malsagov - Group CEO +60 1238 88049

William Mitchell - Group CFO +44 7974 005163

Steve Allen - NOMAD - RFC +61 4179 03115

Alan Frame -Westport Communications +44 20 7065 2690

 

PureCircle has today been notified by its significant shareholder Asian Investment Management Services ("AIMS") that on February 8 2010 it sold a total of 2,100,000 shares at £2.37 per share. As a result the interest of AIMS & its related parties has reduced from 8.9% to 7.5%.

Enquiries:

PureCircle Limited 
Magomet Malsagov, CEO +60 1 2388 8049
William Mitchell, CFO +44 7974 005 163

RFC Corporate Finance (NOMAD) +61 8 9480 2500
Steve Allen

Westport Communications +44 20 7065 2690
Alan Frame alan@westportcomms.com
Jeanette Bishop jeanette@westportcomms.com

PureCircle is pleased to announce that it has appointed Liberum Capital Limited to act as joint corporate broker with immediate effect. Liberum has a recognised research, corporate finance, sales and trading platform in UK and European equities.

Commenting on the appointment, Magomet Malsagov, Chief Executive of PureCircle, said "I am pleased to see Liberum Capital take up the role as joint broker. Liberum is young and innovative, yet has considerable depth in the marketplace already. I am confident that Liberum is an excellent complement to our existing brokers."

Enquiries:

PureCircle
Magomet Malsagov, CEO +60 1 2388 8049
William Mitchell, CFO +44 7974 005 163

RFC Corporate Finance (NOMAD) +61 8 9480 2500
Steve Allen

Liberum Capital Limited +44 20 3100 2000
Clayton Bush
Tom Fyson

Westport Communications +44 20 7065 2690
Alan Frame alan@westportcomms.com
Jeanette Bishop jeanette@westportcomms.com
Westport Communications

 

PureCircle is pleased to provide the first of a planned series of monthly updates on developments in the global stevia market.

In the USA it is just over a year since the Food and Drug Administration approved Reb A for use as an ingredient in Food and Beverage products. Since then there has been strong and growing usage of Reb A across a range of categories. In the High Intensity table top category the most recent Nielsen data at the end of 2009 shows that stevia-sweetened brands now account for 12 per cent of the U.S retail tabletop market. This represents a rapid penetration of the market and, for example, already compares favourably with long established Aspartame and Saccherine sweeteners which have 14 and 16 per cent share.

Stevia's development in table top is being mirrored in other categories. A growing number of the world's biggest food and beverage companies are now turning to stevia to provide naturally sweetened calorie-reduced products for their consumers.Recent launches include a variety of brands from Danone, Nestle, PepsiCo, WhiteWave and Goodman Fielder.

In the USA PepsiCo has extended the range of Sobe Lifewater flavours using PureVia Reb A. Following strong demand from consumers for the first five Sobe flavours featuring stevia two additional flavours, Strawberry Dragonfruit and Cherimoya Punch, have been launched in January. In PepsiCo's Trop 50 range, recent launches include Pomegranate Blueberry and Pineapple Mango containing 50 per cent fewer calories.

In the large USA Soy Milk category WhiteWave's Silk Chocolate Light has been launched as the brand's first all natural, stevia-sweetened soy milk.  Following approval for use as a Food and Beverage ingredient in September 2009, France approved Reb A for use in the High Intensity table top category in January 2010 and launches are expected in the near future. Stevia table top launches in Australia and Switzerland have been growing market share across the last six months.

In New Zealand Frucor is marketing Revive Supplement Water, the country's first low calorie vitamin-enhanced beverage featuring Reb A. Also in New Zealand Goodman Fielder's Meadow Fresh Lite yoghurt was reformulated to replace artificial high intensity sweeteners with Reb A, available in four flavours.

In Canada PepsiCo recently unveiled Aquafina Plus Vitamins 10 Cal, the country's first low calorie, vitamin enhanced water to feature Stevia. In Latin America PepsiCo launched Gatorade G2 in Mexico and Danone's Levite flavoured water brand is now incorporating Reb A in some products. 

In Malaysia Nestle rolled out Yoco yoghurt in a variety of flavours and sweetened with stevia. Also in Malaysia Nestle now sells Bliss Drinkable yoghurt in seven flavours, again sweetened with stevia.

Other market developments include a survey just released from KnowGenix which indicates that there is growing consumer awareness and demand for stevia and an overall positive feel about market growth. The KnowGenix survey suggests that stevia sweeteners are on track to capture more than 50 per cent of the aspartame and sucralose markets.

The Company plans to provide a further update on the stevia market in late February, including developments from the Stevia World Americas conference being held in Atlanta USA on 25 and 26 February 2010. Jason Hecker, Director of Marketing, PureCircle USA, said: "The interest across food and beverage categories shows that stevia is well on its way toward becoming a mainstream ingredient".

Enquiries

PureCircle Limited (www.purecircle.com),
Magomet Malsagov, Managing Director +60 1 2388 8049
William Mitchell, Finance Director +44 7974 005 163

Westport Communications +44 20 7065 2690
Alan Frame alan@westportcomms.com
Jeanette Bishop jeanette@westportcomms.com

RFC Corporate Finance Ltd +61 8 9480 2500
Stephen Allen

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

PureCircle signs long term contract for expansion of Stevia production with leading Paraguayan Farmers' Cooperative.

PureCircle has entered into a contract with the Cooperativa Colonias Unidas (CCU), a leading Paraguayan farmers' co-operative, for the production and supply of Stevia leaf.

The agreement between PureCircle South America SA (PCSA) and CCU underlines the commitment of both parties to the production of proprietary varieties of high quality Stevia, as international demand for the natural, zero calorie sweetener escalates.

Fernando Chilavert, Managing Director of PCSA said: "We are proud to partner with Colonias Unidas who bring a long commitment to agriculture in the region, a highly professional staff, and access to thousands of hectares with their associates for future expansion."

Enquiries:

PureCircle Limited
Magomet Malsagov, CEO +60 1 2388 8049
William Mitchell, CFO +44 7974 005 163

RFC Corporate Finance (NOMAD) +61 8 9480 2500
Steve Allen

Ricardo Wollmeister Colonias Unidas (www.colonias.com.py) +595-717 20251
 
Westport Communications +44 20 7065 2690
Alan Frame alan@westportcomms.com
Jeanette Bishop jeanette@westportcomms.com


This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

PureCircle has today been notified of changes in Significant Shareholders. On 18 December 2009, Olam International Limited ("Olam") has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to acquire the 13,272,305 shares in PureCircle held by Wii Pte. Ltd, a subsidiary of Wilmar International Limited at a price of P2.50 per
share, for an aggregate consideration of P33,180,762 (the "Acquisition").

Following the Acquisition, Olam will own 30,544,609 shares in PureCircle representing approximately a 20% interest in the Company. In its own statement to the Singapore Stock Exchange today, Olam stated that "it has acquired additional interests in PureCircle as it believes the investment in the Company will lead to accretion of significant shareholder value in the long term for the following reasons:
 

• Strong growth prospects of PureCircle: Since US Food and Drug Administration "Generally Recognised as Safe" clearance for high purity Reb A to be used as a food and beverage ingredient was granted in December 2008, a range of stevia-sweetened products have been launched in the US and performed well, securing strong sales. For example, stevia-sweetened "tabletop" products have secured 10% of the US table-top sweetener market. Similarly, sales of PepsiCo's SoBe Lifewater beverage flavours sweetened with Reb A, which were launched in 2009, are outperforming the category (Source: Nielsen). With continuing pressure for the reduction of calories in food and beverages, PureCircle's discussions with both current and potential clients have led to the expectation that such clients are planning launches of stevia-sweetened products and line extensions in a wider range and larger size in 2010 and 2011. Olam therefore believes that PureCircle will benefit directly from these expected product launches.
   
• Strategic value for Olam: Olam is currently exploring several initiatives for developing the stevia leaf supply chain in countries where it has an active presence and where the agro-climatic conditions are suitable for stevia cultivation. In addition, Olam believes that there is potential to distribute Reb A and stevia-based tabletop products in markets where PureCircle does not have a direct presence today.
   
• Following the Acquisition, PureCircle now becomes an associated company of Olam. The Company[Olam] intends to remain a long term investor of PureCircle and Mr. Sunny George Verghese, the Group Managing Director and CEO [of Olam] continues to serve as a non-executive director of PureCircle."

Commenting on the changes in Significant Shareholdings, PureCircle CEO, Magomet Malsagov commented:

"We welcome Olam's increased participation in the development of both our company PureCircle and the wider global stevia industry. Since their first investment with us in July 2008 Olam have proved to be a strong supportive partner who we value highly, both at a Board level through the contribution of Sunny Verghese and the wider Olam organisation. We look forward to creating significant future value together for all our shareholders. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Wilmar for their contribution as a shareholder and partner to our progress over the past eighteen months."

Enquiries:

PureCircle Limited 
Magomet Malsagov, CEO +60 1 2388 8049
William Mitchell, CFO +44 7974 005 163

RFC Corporate Finance (NOMAD) +61 8 9480 2500
Steve Allen

Westport Communications +44 20 7065 2690
Alan Frame alan@westportcomms.com
Jeanette Bishop jeanette@westportcomms.com

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

PureCircle has today been notified by its substantial shareholder, Olam Wilmar Investment Holdings Pte. Ltd. that it had transferred its existing shares to Olam International Limited ("Olam"), and to Wii Pte Ltd.

Olam, which jointly controls Olam Wilmar Investment Holdings Pte. Ltd. with Wilmar International Limited, has an existing direct shareholding in PureCircle of 4,000,000 shares, or 2.61% of the issued share capital.
Wii Pte. Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wilmar International Limited.

Following the transfers, the changes to the notifiable interests are as follows:
 

Enquiries:

PureCircle Limited
Magomet Malsagov, CEO +60 1 2388 8049
William Mitchell, CFO +44 7974 005 163

RFC Corporate Finance (NOMAD) +61 8 9480 2500
Steve Allen

Westport Communications +44 20 7065 2690
Alan Frame alan@westportcomms.com
Jeanette Bishop jeanette@westportcomms.com

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

PureCircle announces that on 7 December 2009 a total of 85,000 Options were exercised that had been granted under the terms of the Company's Long Term Incentive Plan. The Options exercised had an exercise price of USD nil per share. The 85,000 Options exercised will be satisfied by way of issuance of new ordinary shares of the Company.

Enquiries:

PureCircle
Tel: 020 7457 2020
Magomet Malsagov, Chief Executive
William Mitchell, Finance Director

RFC Corporate Finance (NOMAD)
Tel: +61 8 9480 2500
Steve Allen