ASUNCION, PARAGUAY — PureCircle South America and the Cooperativa Colonias Unidas have signed a contract for the production and supply of stevia leaves in Paraguay. They will seek to develop proprietary varieties of the stevia plant to meet the demand for natural, zero-calorie, stevia based sweeteners. The companies initially will expand a crop area of 25 hectares (about 62 acres) involving 35 partners of the cooperative.

“The collaboration and long-term commitment between Colonias Unidas and PureCircle South America has allowed us to quickly introduce this crop for large scale expansion,” said Ricardo Wollmeister, general manager of Colonias Unidas.