The company previously revealed plans to boost activity in the country particularly in the bakery sector and tabletop sweetener markets after developing six new stevia formulations in conjunction with Wild Flavours.
Now it has announced the completion of its stevioside expansion project, bringing annual bulk stevia production to 1,300 tonnes, including 500 tonnes of high grade stevioside products. These include Rebaudioside 60, 80, 95, 98 and 99.
Stevioside is billed as a natural sweetener approximately 300 times sweeter than sugar. Sunwin, which is located in Qufu, China with US operations in Dallas, Texas, sells stevioside through wholesale channels in China, Japan and South Korea.
Rising demand
Its expansion project was launched in April this year in an effort to keep pace with rising demand. Sunwin has begun trial production of its new lines and anticipates its additional production capabilities will be fully operational in the third quarter of 2013.
In addition, the firm has taken production of steviosin, a stevioside extract used in the pharmaceutical industry, to 500 tonnes.
Sunwin’s new stevioside extraction line uses a crystallisation process that the company claims will substantially cut production time and costs while increasing yield.
In addition, Sunwin’s facilities are capable of producing 500 tonnes of stevioside in granular and tablet forms. The business said demand for stevia in these forms has been increasing and believes it is poised to capitalise on this trend.
Expand product offerings
"We are excited to have completed this important expansion for our company,” said Sunwin chief executive Dongdong Lin. “Through this upgrade we not only increase our bulk stevia capabilities we also are able to expand our product offerings to the stevia marketplace.
"We believe our use of technology will help us to significantly drive down production costs and enhance our bottom line while providing our customers across the globe with the highest quality stevia products."
Sunwin is engaged in the manufacture and sale not just of stevia formulations, but also a range of nutraceuticals.