Video: PepsiCo and Whole Earth Sweetener Company Introduce All-Natural, Zero-Calorie...

Video: PepsiCo and Whole Earth Sweetener Company Introduce All-Natural,
Zero-Calorie Sweetener PureVia(TM)
'SoBe Life' Is World's First Beverage to Use Perfectly Natural, Naturally
Sweet PureVia(TM) from Stevia Plant

PURCHASE, N.Y. and CHICAGO, July 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Most people
can only dream of drinks and foods that are naturally sweetened, contain zero
calories and also taste great, but today PepsiCo and Whole Earth Sweetener
Company are making that vision a reality.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/pepsicopurevia/34235/

The two companies are partnering to introduce a breakthrough,
zero-calorie, all-natural sweetener from the stevia plant. It's called
PureVia(TM) and will debut in a new nutritionally enhanced PepsiCo beverage
called "SoBe Life," to be launched in Latin America, starting with Peru.
PureVia(TM) tabletop sweetener will launch in the United States this fall
before expanding into drink and food products around the world. PureVia(TM)
will be available initially in three SoBe Life flavor blends: Tropical
Pomegranate, Strawberry-Kiwi and Orange-Tangerine.
"Consumers have always been looking for a beverage that is natural, tastes
great and has no calories, and SoBe Life with PureVia(TM) answers the call,"
said Massimo d'Amore, CEO of PepsiCo Americas Beverages. "This will have great
appeal to health-conscious people who are looking for hydration and natural
ingredients."
More information regarding the Latin American launch of SoBe Life with
PureVia(TM) can be found at www.thrillicious.com/sobelife. Supporting both
branding and innovation efforts, The Arnell Group is SoBe Life's agency of
record throughout the Americas.
In May, Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of Merisant Company
focused solely on natural products, submitted a notification and supporting
scientific data to the FDA that the ingredient is generally recognized as safe
for use in beverages, foods and tabletop sweeteners. PepsiCo intends to market
PureVia(TM) in beverages and foods and Whole Earth Sweetener Company will
market the brand as a tabletop sweetener.
"The introduction of PureVia(TM) represents the culmination of four years
of research and development to bring this revolutionary new product to market
and satisfy consumer demand for great tasting, all-natural, zero-calorie
sweeteners," said Paul Block, chief executive officer of Merisant and Whole
Earth Sweetener Company. "What's unique about PureVia(TM) is that we've
identified a way to extract the purest part of the stevia leaf to reveal the
cleanest and most consistent taste."
"This is a potential game-changer among zero-calorie sweeteners," said Lou
Imbrogno, PepsiCo's senior vice president of Pepsi Worldwide Technical
Operations. "PureVia(TM) is all natural. It's extracted from the stevia plant
leaf and not synthetically produced. We've got ample supply and we look
forward to bringing PureVia(TM) to consumers around the world."
As a tabletop sweetener, all-natural, zero-calorie PureVia(TM) can be used
in place of sugar in both hot and cold beverages, as well as sprinkled on
cereal and fruit. It will be available for purchase at food and grocery stores
across the United States and at PureVia.com later this fall in 40-stick
cartons.
The active sweetener in PureVia(TM) is Reb A, an all-natural, purified
component of the South American stevia plant -- long known for its
extraordinary sweetness. Stevia is approximately 200 times as sweet as sugar,
and Reb A is the sweetest, purest part of the stevia leaf. Other forms of
stevia, which typically are less pure than PureVia(TM), are currently sold in
the United States as dietary supplements and have been used for years by
consumers in countries such as Brazil, Japan and South Korea.
"PureVia is sweetened with a purified extract of the stevia plant," said
Sergio Machado, director of research and development for Whole Earth Sweetener
Company. "After the stevia leaves are milled, a freshwater brewing method is
used to unlock the natural sweeteners, including the best-tasting extract of
the plant -- Reb A. This extract is then purified further until a very high
purity Reb A is obtained."
PepsiCo and Whole Earth Sweetener Company have formed an unprecedented
partnership through which they will jointly own and market PureVia(TM)
globally. The two companies have agreed to buy the natural sweetener from
PureCircle, a leading supplier of pure Reb A, which also will have the
exclusive license to market Reb A under the PureVia(TM) brand in certain
categories.
For more information about PureVia(TM) tabletop sweetener and food and
beverages containing PureVia(TM) visit www.purevia.com and
www.pureviaforhealth.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) is one of the world's largest food and beverage
companies, with 2007 annual revenues of more than $39 billion. The company
employs approximately 185,000 people worldwide, and its products are sold in
approximately 200 countries. Its principal businesses include: Frito-Lay
snacks, Pepsi-Cola beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices and
Quaker foods. The PepsiCo portfolio includes 18 brands that generate $1
billion or more each in annual retail sales. PepsiCo's commitment to
sustainable growth, defined as Performance with Purpose, is focused on
generating healthy financial returns while giving back to communities the
company serves. This includes meeting consumer needs for a spectrum of
convenient foods and beverages, reducing the company's impact on the
environment through water, energy and packaging initiatives, and supporting
its employees through a diverse and inclusive culture that recruits and
retains world-class talent. As a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World
Index (DJSI World) and the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI
North America), PepsiCo is a recognized leader in sustainability. For more
information, please visit www.pepsico.com.
About Whole Earth Sweetener Company
Whole Earth Sweetener Company is committed to providing natural
alternatives to sugar and to helping people eat better and live healthier,
more fulfilling lives. The company actively supports and is involved in simple
and sustainable farming -- the best method for promoting agriculture and
protecting the environment and farm workers. Formed in 2006, Whole Earth
Sweetener Company launched its first sweetener brand, Sweet Simplicity(R), in
2007, and the company continues to develop a vertically integrated business
that will bring products that are perfectly sweet and perfectly natural from
the farm to consumers. Whole Earth Sweetener Company is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Merisant Company, the maker of Equal(R) and Canderel(R) and a
global leader in the manufacture, marketing and distribution of tabletop
sweeteners, with sales in over 90 countries. For more information, visit
www.wholeearthsweetener.com.
About PureCircle
PureCircle is a pioneer in the extraction of natural goodness from plants
and the world's leading producer of high purity Rebaudioside-A (Reb A) with a
vertically integrated supply chain operating in three continents. PureCircle
markets a range of natural high intensity sweeteners internationally.
Activities range from sourcing of dry stevia leaves and extraction, refining
of crude extracts into sweeteners and marketing of these sweeteners to food
and beverage manufacturers worldwide. PureCircle is listed on the London Stock
Exchange AIM market under the ticker symbol: LSE.PURE. For more information,
visit www.purecircle.com.
Press Contact:
Dave DeCecco
PepsiCo
914-253-2655
dave.dececco@pepsi.com
Nicole Bradley
PepsiCo
nicole.bradley@pepsi.com
914-253-2964
Katie Wood
Whole Earth Sweetener Company
katie.wood@edelman.com
312-240-2827

SOURCE PepsiCo

Nicole Bradley, +1-914-253-2964, nicole.bradley@pepsi.com, or Dave DeCecco,
+1-914-253-2655, dave.dececco@pepsi.com, both of PepsiCo; or Katie Wood of
Whole Earth Sweetener Company, +1-312-240-2827, katie.wood@edelman.com