Chengdu Wagott Pharmaceuticals Co., China-based botanical extracts specialist, has expanded its natural stevia extracts line, ViaSweet, to a new range of tabletop rebaudioside A sweetener formulations. In cooperation with Brenner Pharma/food, Israel, Wagott offers three unique private-label product alternatives to current trade retail brands.
“Wagott’s goal is to provide its customers strategic, value-added natural products with cost-efficient solutions,” explains Gary Brenner, founder of Brenner Pharma/food. “We are cooperating with well known toll manufacturers in Europe and Israel for three distinct options, with ViaSweet inside. We are extremely pleased with the finished product results, having successfully maintained the clean flavour profile of Wagott’s stevia.”
The customized versions include tablet dispensers, blisters and a patented liquid formulation. All products are offered in cleverly –designed, convenient packaging and delivered directly from the toll manufacturer to Wagott customers.
“In anticipation of EU approval of stevia, Wagott has been consistently reaching out to European food and beverage markets the last two years, and is already a preferred stevia supplier for key marketers of the naturally derived, zero-calorie sweetener,” notes Brenner. "Our strategy is to position ViaSweet as the sugar/artificial sweeteners substitute of choice for beverage and food industry sweetener producers in the US and Europe. The EU Commission Regulation will enter into force on 3 December 2011 and we anticipate ViaSweet sales will grow accordingly. ViaSweet was declared Self-Affirmed GRAS—‘generally recognized as safe‘—by the FDA earlier this year.”
Chengdu Wagott has leveraged its pharmaceutical experience and GMP facilities for production of a wide range of natural plant extracts, developing its ViaSweet brand from farm to table. Controlled growing conditions across 12,000 acres (in five separate regions of China) mean guaranteed supply and include important quality controls for standardizing flavour profile. This includes 300 acres of certified organic stevia offered to both US and EU markets.
“We have increased our extraction capacities beyond 500 metric tons following the opening of our second 25 million dollar Stevia facility in June 2011,” states Hua Jun, president of Chengdu Wagott. “The Sichuan governmental ‘Innovative Technology Companies Support Funds’ recently approved a second investment plan to expand Wagott’s two state-of-the-art botanical extraction plants. We proudly opened our doors to a large number of multinational food and beverage companies coming to Chengdu to audit Wagott facilities.”