MINNEAPOLIS, March 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hansen's Beverage Company and the Truvia® brand announce the launch of Hansen's® Natural Fruit Stix™ and Tea Stix™ sweetened with Truvia® rebiana, a natural, zero-calorie sweetener made from the best-tasting part of the stevia leaf. The Stix launch adds to Hansen Beverage Company's current line of products sweetened with Truvia® rebiana that include Hansen's® Natural Lo-Cal Juices and Blue Sky® Free sodas.

"Truvia® rebiana continues to gain traction as an ingredient in more beverage products in the U.S.," said Ann Clark Tucker, director of marketing and communications Truvia®, Cargill Health & Nutrition. "We are pleased to see Hansen expand its line of products with Truvia® rebiana. These introductions demonstrate the growing consumer market for products with the great tasting, zero-calorie natural sweetness of the Truvia® brand."

"Hansen's® Natural is responding to the growing consumer demand for healthier, natural products that refresh and taste great without unnecessary calories," said Patty Fender, new product development manager for Hansen Beverage Company. "The opportunity to expand our Hansen's Natural line is definitely here, and we've been able to do so successfully in partnership with the Truvia® brand. As an ingredient, Truvia® rebiana helps to make quality beverage products that are essential for our business."

Hansen's Fruit Stix™ and Tea Stix™ offer consumers a refreshing new way to enjoy great-tasting beverages in a water soluble powdered drink mix that accounts for 100 percent of the daily recommended dose of vitamin C with only five calories per serving and free of sugar, gluten and artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors or preservatives.

Hansen's Natural Fruit and Tea Stix™ are available in five flavors – Natural Iced Tea, Natural Blackberry Tea, Natural Strawberry Lemonade, Natural Fruit Punch and Natural Berry – and are sold at Amazon.com, as well as select Whole Foods Market regions, grocery retail stores and Health Food independents nationwide for a suggested retail price of $2.99-3.99 per box (each box contains 8 - 0.14 oz packets).

There are currently more than 20 beverage and food products featuring Truvia® rebiana.

After only two years on the market, the Truvia® brand continues to set the trend in the sugar substitute category. As the number two sugar substitute, Truvia® natural sweetener has achieved a 12.6 percent share of U.S. retail sales of the sugar substitutes category, surpassing Merisant's Equal® (aspartame) for the past 12 months and Sweet N'Low in the last reporting period. (Source: ACNielsen Food/Drug/Mass+Wal-Mart, 4 weeks ending 2/19/11.)

About Hansen Beverage Company

Based in Corona, California, Hansen Natural Corporation markets and distributes Hansen's® natural sodas, sparkling beverages, apple juice and juice blends, fruit juice smoothies, multi-vitamin juice drinks in aseptic packaging, iced teas, energy drinks, Junior Juice® juices and water beverages, Blue Sky® brand beverages, Monster Energy® brand energy drinks, Nitrous™ Monster Energy® brand energy drinks,  Worx Energy™ energy shots , Java Monster™ brand non-carbonated coffee + energy drinks, X-Presso Monster™ brand non-carbonated espresso energy drinks, Peace Tea™ iced teas, Lost® Energy™ brand energy drinks, Rumba®, Samba and Tango brand energy juices, Vidration™ brand vitamin enhanced waters, Admiral™ iced teas and Hubert's Lemonades™.  For more information visit www.hansens.com and www.monsterenergy.com.  

About Truvia® natural sweetener tabletop and ingredient
The Truvia® brand business is comprised of both consumer products - Truvia® natural sweetener and the ingredient – Truvia® rebiana. Truvia® natural sweetener is a great tasting, natural, zero-calorie tabletop sweetener made with rebiana, derived from the best tasting part of the stevia leaf. Truvia® rebiana is an ingredient used to sweeten foods and beverages. For more information, visit truvia.com.

The Truvia® brand incorporates Cargill standards for food safety, quality assurance and global agronomy expertise. Cargill is the only company in the stevia sweetener market managing from field to the consumer table, and is responsible for opening the category of zero-calorie natural sweetness in 2008.

About Cargill
Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 131,000 people in 66 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit cargill.com.

SOURCE Truvia