Nordzucker and Pure Circle Limited Announce the Creation of NP Sweet A/S, the Leading Northern European Steviasucrose Company

NP Sweet is a sales and marketing Joint Venture owned equally by Nordzucker and PureCircle. NP Sweet develops and markets products that combine the natural benefits of both sugar and stevia to meet the fast growing requirements for reduced calorie naturally sweet applications.

3/22/2011 --- Nordzucker AG, Braunschweig/ Germany, and PureCircle Limited, Kuala Lumpur/ Malaysia, announce the formation of their Joint Venture, NP Sweet A/S effective 18 March 2011.

NP Sweet is a sales and marketing Joint Venture owned equally by Nordzucker and PureCircle. NP Sweet develops and markets products that combine the natural benefits of both sugar and stevia to meet the fast growing requirements for reduced calorie naturally sweet applications. NP Sweet markets it’ s stevia and steviasucrose portfolio (a combination of stevia and sugar) to Food and Beverage clients across Northern and Eastern Europe.

Chief Agricultural Officer, Dr. Niels Pörksen, Nordzucker: “Since we announced our discussions with PureCircle in September there has been a very positive reaction from our clients who are keen to access steviasucrose as a complement to our core sugar portfolio.”

The Joint Venture draws on the combined resources of both parents. This provides NP Sweet with access to the scale, distribution and sugar technologies of Nordzucker, Europe’s second largest sugar producer, with the world’s leading high purity stevia technologies and product innovation of PureCircle.

General Manager, Lars Bo Jørgensen, NP Sweet: “We believe that our steviasucrose concepts offer food and beverage producers highly efficient solutions, where sweetening with excellent taste is combined with facilitated production opportunities. Our customers benefit from the partners’ unique and individually strong platforms in stevia technology and sucrose application technology for a broad spectrum of foods and beverages.

Our technologies are underpinned by integrated supply chains that offer customers sustainability and traceability from field to final application. No other company can offer this”.

Both partners view the creation of NP Sweet as an important vehicle for growth once EU Regulatory clearance for Stevia products is achieved. EU clearance is expected before the end of 2011.

NP Sweet is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Production of steviasucrose is based in both Scandinavia and Germany. NP Sweet‘s management team is drawn from across the Nordzucker operating regions.

Corporate Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Jordi Ferre, PureCircle: “We are pleased at the way our partnership with Nordzucker is developing. NP Sweet is well placed to service the market fully in advance of EU clearance later this year.”