Category Leader SweetLeaf Stevia Gives Birth to Next Generation Sweet People

27/09/07 Steve May, creator of SweetLeaf brand stevia, has announced his departure from management of SweetLeaf parent company, Wisdom Natural Brands, and is launching a new company -- Sweet People.

"Sweet People is the result of 12 years of listening to consumers, food manufacturers and our retail partners about their aspirations for stevia, the world's only all natural, zero-calorie and zero-glycemic choice," said Steve May founder of Sweet People.

Stevia is a green shrub native to the rainforests of Paraguay that has been used for centuries as a natural, zero calorie, and health-promoting sweetener. It is used widely in Asia and South America in packaged foods and is sold in the United States as a dietary supplement. The retail stevia category in the US has grown from nearly zero in 1995 to approximately $60 million in 2006.

Sweet People's stevia is the next generation in terms of taste, functional benefits, accessibility and product stability. Sweet People offers a forward- thinking commitment to innovating products, investing in new technology and certifying its seed-to-shelf sustainable business practices. And while nearly all stevia in the US is imported from China, Sweet People will be the first to use stevia from its natural roots among the Guarani people of Paraguay.

Sweet People will launch its next generation stevia line in early 2008 under its own brand name as well as in private label formats for well-known retailers.

"Sweet People is not just a copy of my original green packet," says May. "Our product is quantitatively superior in terms of active constituents, biodiversity, traceability, reliability, and application versatility. Sweet People stevia provides the taste, texture and pleasure of sugar with all of the benefits of stevia."

"People choose Sweet People because we deliver the taste, benefit and value that were previously unavailable; but people fall in love with Sweet People because of how we do it."