Stevia Sales Sweeter Than Ever

Sunwin International Neutraceuticals, Inc., a manufacturer of Chinese herbs, veterinary medicines and low-calorie natural sweetener (Stevia) in China, announced March 8 it has received purchase orders of Stevia in excess of $2 million.Stevia, a natural sweetener, is extracted from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant, as a food additive which is used in various products such as beverages, pastries, dairy products, candies, confections, and medicinal products. Stevia is approximately 200 to 300 times sweeter than general sucrose, but it has only 1/300th of the calories and it is often referred to as the third generation of natural low calorie sweeteners. Stevia is the sweetener of the future. Because the human body does not metabolize the sweet glycosides (they pass right through the normal elimination channels) from the leaf or any of its processed forms, the body obtains no calories from Stevia. For those who have blood sugar, blood pressure or weight problems, Stevia is the most desirable sweetener. Tongtong Lin, Sunwin's newly appointed CEO, noted, "We are pleased with growing worldwide popularity of Stevia. We believe Stevia will become a mainstay of the worldwide sweetener marketplace. The current production of 1,600 tons per year worldwide will not meet the dramatically increasing demand worldwide. In the past eight months, the price of Stevia has doubled to as high as $35,000 per ton. We plan to increase our production capacity from 200 tons to 300 tons per year in the coming months. Stevia production alone could add to our annual sales as much as over $10 million with $1.5 million in net income." Sunwin's website is www.sunwin.biz. Its U.S. representative is Pacific Rim Partners ([email protected]); phone (954) 724-2944; fax 954-724-7364.