Natural Sweetener Alliance’s mission is to deliver scalable, sustainable and reduced-calorie sweeteners by leveraging Tate & Lyle’s sugar reduction expertise and Manus’ bio-conversion technology from an all-Americas supply.
Natural Sweetener Alliance aims to address the global health gap by meeting consumers' growing need to reduce calories and sugar, while also providing food and beverage manufacturers with clean label and natural solutions to align with consumer preferences, explained Christine Santos, chief technology officer, Manus, to FoodNavigator-USA.
Bio-alternative manufacturer Manus ensures supply chain security and cost competitiveness through its end-to-end process, which spans from stevia cultivation in Peru to bio-conversion, according to the company.
Between Tate & Lyle’s expertise in sugar and calorie reduction and Manus’ technology platform, the partnership will “democratize Reb M” for manufacturers around the world, added Abigail Storms, SVP, fiber and sweetener platform at Tate & Lyle.
‘From seed to final product”
Manus specializes in producing “bio-alternative, complex natural products” that address sustainability and scalability “compared to traditional manufacturing methods,” like extraction from plants, which yield a smaller percentage of Reb M, Santos said.
Manus works with a network of farmers in Peru to grow specific stevia varietals, which are turned into crude stevia extract in Manus’ extraction facility, also based in Peru. The crude stevia extract is transferred to Manus’ bio-manufacturing facility in Augusta, Ga., and converted into “high purity Reb M,” she said.
“What we have developed in this partnership that we are commercializing together is this end-to-end manufacturing process for bio-converted Reb M all the way from seed to final product,” Santos said.
Manus’ technology platform is “very broadly applicable” to other complex natural ingredients for food and beverage development, Santos added.
“We have interests as well in other natural sweeteners. Those are things that can have a big impact in our overall mission here on sugar reduction,” she said.
The partnership aims to mitigate potential tariff impacts by offering localized supply
Manus' Reb M production in the Americas offers a cost benefit that remains competitive for Tate & Lyle’s customers, Storms said.
The company’s vertically integrated system enhances supply chain security by sourcing stevia in the Americas, rather than more traditional locations that may be impacted by tariffs, like China and Asia.
“Having that security of an all-Americas’ supply chain is extremely important, but there is also a keen eye in terms of what this means to the end product cost and making sure that this is competitive compared with any other source for high purity Reb M,” she elaborated.
While the future of the US tariff landscape remains unclear, Natural Sweetener Alliance garnered a positive response from customers for a secure supply of high purity Reb M, Storms said.
The uncertain tariff landscape is an issue the Alliance’s customers are seeking to navigate, focusing on securing supply and finding alternatives to potential higher tariffs from China and Asia, she added.