Tate & Lyle and Manus unveil stevia-derived sweetener under new brand

Tate & Lyle, a global F&B ingredients supplier, and Manus, a bioalternatives scale-up platform, have launched a premium stevia-derived sweetener for sugar-like taste. It is the first ingredient from Yume (the Japanese word for “dream”) — a new brand under The Sweetener Alliance. 

The Sweetener Alliance, announced a year ago, is a strategic partnership between the companies to expand access to innovative sugar-reduction solutions. Innova Market Insights found that 72% of consumers worldwide are actively cutting back on sugar, while sweetener NPD is growing at 8% annually, creating an increasingly lucrative market for the industry.

Developed and scaled by Manus, Yume M Stevia is produced at Manus’ BioFacility in Augusta, Georgia, US, which is said to be the only large-scale stevia bioconversion site in the US. Yume M leverages Manus’ all-Americas supply chain, ensuring end-to-end traceability, strengthening supply security for customers, and supporting future stevia innovation.

“Our partnership accelerates the growth of ingredients that meet society’s evolving nutrition needs and industry’s growing need for security of supply,” says Tate & Lyle CEO Nick Hampton. “Yume M Stevia gives our customers expanded access to innovative, cost-competitive sugar-reduction solutions.”

“Yume brings together nature’s promise and Manus’ biomanufacturing capability to deliver a new standard in sweetness,” adds Ajikumar Parayil, founder and CEO of Manus. “With Yume sweeteners, we are translating next-generation industrial biotechnology and bioalternatives into commercially scalable sweetener solutions.”

“Partnering with Tate & Lyle helps us accelerate global adoption by combining Manus’ bioalternative products, scale-up platform, and supply-chain traceability with Tate & Lyle’s formulation expertise and market access. Together, we are bringing cost-competitive, scalable products to consumer brands looking to reduce sugar without compromising taste.”

Sweetener innovation

Sweetener suppliers are moving beyond single-ingredient sugar swaps toward blended systems that combine rare sugars, stevia, citrus flavonoids, and sweet proteins to simultaneously rebuild taste, texture, and mouthfeel. 

Food Ingredients First recently spoke with major ingredient suppliers and producers, including Tate & Lyle, about how the sweetener landscape is shifting — from single-ingredient swaps to systems-based approaches inspired by AI-driven formulation tools.