Coca-Cola Brasil Launches First Ready-to-Drink Nectar Naturally Sweetened with Stevia

Del Valla Laranja Caseira Light has a new formula! The ready-to-drink box nectar by Coca-Cola Brasil is the first in the country with Truvía, an exclusive natural sweetener extracted from the Stevia leaf, and developed by The Coca-Cola Company and Cargill.

Launched in July, the newly reformulated Del Valla Laranja Caseira Light has just 40 calories and no added preservatives.

Del Valla Laranja Caseira Light inaugurates a new era in the market of ready-to-drink nectars. It's an evolution, given a trend of our customers -- beyond the benefit of low-calorie beverages, they seek more natural options. This trend is confirmed by research studies conducted by Datamonitor. According to this study, 91 percent of respondents consider important that ready-to-drink nectars are sweetened with natural ingredients. The same survey also reveals that 43 percent of people stated that the presence of natural ingredients in foods and beverages influences their buying decision.

The new Del Valle Laranja Caseira Light formula was developed at the Research and Development Laboratory at Coca-Cola Brasil in partnership with Cargill, after a broad and rigorous program of scientific research into the properties of Stevia.

President of the Brazilian Association of Nutrition (ABRAN, according to the Portuguese acronym) and Vice President of the Latin American Academy of Nutrition (ALAN, according to the Portuguese acronym), Dr. Durval Ribas Filho explains that the Stevia extract is 200 times sweeter than sugar and does not provide calories in the processed foods and beverages in which it is used.

About Stevia
Stevia is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America. The species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply Stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves.

When Stevia leaves reach their peak of sweetness, the leaves are harvested and dried. Then, in a process similar to the infusion of tea, the leaves are soaked in water to release the sweet substance found in the plant. Ingredients such as vanilla and mint are similarly extracted.

According to the Stevia World Forum, an organization that represents the largest players in the market for Stevia, it is expected that by 2012 there will be a substitution of 40 percent of consumption of Stevia in relation to sugar in the world. Currently more than 20 products from The Coca-Cola Company around the world use the Stevia extract as a natural sweetener.