R.W. Knudsen Family® Introduces Two New Natural Beverage Lines Sweetened With Truvia™ Rebiana

WAYZATA, Minn., Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- R.W. Knudsen Family® and the Truvia™ brand announce the introduction of R.W. Knudsen Family® Light Juices, a new line of juices available in three delicious flavors, blueberry, cranberry and pomegranate, with 45 percent less calories than other superfruit blends.

The new R.W. Knudsen Family® Light Juices are naturally sweetened with Truvia™ rebiana, a natural, zero-calorie sweetener made from the best-tasting part of the stevia leaf. Truvia™ rebiana offers a clean, sweet taste for food and beverage partners looking to produce zero-calorie or lower-calorie products.

"With the increased attention paid to how many calories are consumed each day through liquids alone, Truvia™ rebiana provides a great tasting natural zero calorie sweetener option to the new R.W. Knudsen Family® Light Juices without compromising on flavor," said Zanna McFerson, assistant vice president, Cargill Health & Nutrition and business director for the Truvia™ enterprise. "R.W. Knudsen Family® is a positive addition to the expanding list of beverages sweetened with Truvia™ rebiana."

The partnership with Truvia™ brand brings one of the first low-calorie, natural superfruit blend juices to the market. This new line provides the inherent health benefits of superfruits like cranberry, pomegranate and blueberry, while delivering the wholesome fruit flavor that consumers have come to expect from the R.W. Knudsen Family® brand.

Since 1961, R.W. Knudsen Family® has demonstrated a commitment to providing high-quality products that never include artificial flavors, preservatives or added sugar. The company continues to meet consumers' needs with a broad range of health-conscious fruit products, including a new addition to its Recharge® line, Recharge® Sports Drink Mixes, a 100-percent natural, low-calorie sports drink mix naturally sweetened with Truvia™ rebiana. By working once again with the Truvia™ brand, this new line of sports drink mix delivers essential electrolytes and optimal vitamins, without the added sugar.

Introduced in 2008, Truvia™ rebiana has become a leading natural sweetener ingredient partner, currently used in several beverage products including Coca-Cola's vitaminwater Zero®, Sprite Green™ and Odwalla® juices, Hansen's® Natural Lo-Cal Juices and Kraft Crystal Light Pure Fitness. In addition, Truvia™ rebiana can also be found in yogurt, ice cream and confectionery products.

The R.W. Knudsen Family® Light Juices and Recharge® line are now available nationwide at Whole Foods and other natural food retailers for a suggested retail price of $3.49 and $3.99, respectively.

After only two years on the market, the Truvia™ brand continues to set the trend in the sugar substitute category. As the number 3 sugar substitute, Truvia™ natural sweetener has achieved a 9.5 percent share of U.S. retail sales of the sugar substitutes category, surpassing Merisant's Equal® (aspartame) (Source: ACNielsen Food/Drug/Mass+Wal-Mart, 4 weeks ending 11/27/10.)

About Truvia™ natural sweetener tabletop and ingredient
The Truvia™ brand business represents both the tabletop 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 carries with it Cargill food safety, quality assurance and global agronomy expertise. Cargill is the company in the sweetener market managing from field to the consumer table, and the company opened 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.

About R.W. Knudsen Family®

R.W. Knudsen Family® has produced quality, all-natural juice products since 1961. Its offerings include Recharge® all-natural sports drinks, more than 125 types of natural and organic fruit and vegetable juices, carbonated fruit beverages, and specialty items. All R.W. Knudsen Family® products are made from 100 percent natural ingredients, without artificial flavors, and never contain added sugar. Visit www.rwknudsenfamily.com for more information.

SOURCE Truvia