London, U.K., and Boston, U.S. – Rooted in a joint commitment to accelerate sugar reduction, Tate & Lyle PLC (Tate & Lyle or the Company), a world leader in ingredient solutions for healthier food and beverages, and Manus, the world’s leading bioalternatives scale-up platform, today announced a strategic partnership, known as The Natural Sweetener Alliance, to expand access to natural sugar reduction solutions. The first ingredient to be jointly introduced is stevia Reb M, marking the first large-scale commercialization of an all-Americas-sourced, manufactured, and bioconverted stevia Reb M ingredient.

Researched, developed, and scaled by Manus, this stevia Reb M is manufactured at Manus’ large-scale BioFacility in Augusta, Georgia – the only large-scale stevia bioconversion capacity in the U.S. – and leverages Manus’ existing all-Americas supply chain, from stevia leaf, extraction, and bioconversion to final ingredient. Offering complete control and traceability, this novel source enhances supply chain security and reliability for customers and paves the way for other innovative stevia ingredient solutions.

Tate & Lyle will bring its many years of stevia research and development, deep sensory, applications, nutrition, and regulatory expertise to the partnership, enabling the development of further innovative ingredients and solutions to meet customers’ sweetening needs as well as leveraging its global presence.

Nick Hampton, Tate & Lyle’s CEO explains:

"We are delighted to partner with Manus and to combine our extensive capabilities and expertise to provide customers with access to high-quality bioconverted stevia Reb M sourced and manufactured in the Americas. This partnership, which represents a further strengthening of our sugar reduction offering, will enable us to create new and innovative solutions for customers and help them meet growing consumer demand for healthier and tastier food and drink.”

Ajikumar “Aji” Parayil, Manus’ Founder and Chief Executive Officer, comments:

“Enabled by Manus' advanced bioalternatives scale-up platform and powered by Tate & Lyle's global reach, I am thrilled to see two market leaders join forces to form The Natural Sweetener Alliance. Together, we will accelerate innovation, provide greater supply chain security to our customers, and grow the global natural sweeteners market, driving down sugar consumption and making healthier, high-quality options accessible worldwide.”

Abigail Storms, Tate & Lyle’s Senior Vice President, Fibre and Sweetener Platform, adds:

“Now our customers will benefit from more flexible, expanded supply chain sourcing and the highest quality of stevia in the market. We are setting the standard together for Reb M and its expanded use across food and beverage categories in all regions, as we partner to deliver on sugar reduction goals. This Reb M is the result of stevia leaf grown, extracted, and bioconverted within the Americas, optimising the end-to-end supply chain and thereby supporting local economies and communities.”

Christine Santos, Manus’ Chief Technology Officer, says:

“Manus, as the leading bioalternatives scale-up platform, continues to push the boundaries of industrial biotechnology, progressing and scaling sustainable solutions that improve both health and the environment. With The Natural Sweetener Alliance, we look forward to further expanding our ingredient portfolio to meet customer and consumer needs globally for natural sugar reduction solutions."