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PureCircle launches own brand ice cream

PureCircle has launched a branded gourmet ice cream with zero added sugar and sweetened with its next generation stevia leaf sweeteners.

Based in Chicago, the company is debuting the new ‘PureCircle’ ice cream in its hometown at the end of August. It will initially be distributed around the city via ‘PureCircle’ ice cream trucks.

PureCircle’s next generation stevia sweeteners, like Reb M, are claimed to be an important break-through with a clean, sugar-like taste, containing no calories and being plant-based. They are said to work extremely well in dessert products like ice cream and in a wide range of beverage and food products. That means, the company says, that beverage and food companies – seeking to reduce sugar and calories -- can offer consumers zero- and low-calorie products, sweetened with its plant-based stevia sweeteners.

Several health organizations suggest consumers reduce added sugar in their diets, PureCircle notes. For example, the U.S. Government, in its Dietary Guidelines, urges “an eating pattern low in added sugar.” With no added sugar, PureCircle ice cream helps consumers adhere to that eating pattern. It also helps with calorie reduction. PureCircle’s vanilla ice cream, for example, is said to contain less than half the calories of one of the leading full-calorie branded vanilla ice creams, while having the creamy taste characteristic of gourmet ice creams. And as it sweetened with stevia, PureCircle’s ice cream contains no artificial sweeteners.

PureCircle’s new ice cream will be available initially in four flavours: vanilla, chocolate, coffee and salted caramel. There will also be a vegan fruit-flavoured dessert. The new PureCircle ice cream offerings will be available in 5.3-oz mini-cups and pints at launch.

Initially, the PureCircle Ice Cream will be sold via food trucks circulating in and around Chicago. In addition, the company plans to offer ice cream products for sale to restaurants, ice cream parlours, hotels and other foodservice outlets; plus the company will offer to sell stevia-based ingredient blends to producers of ice cream sold at retail and in foodservice.

The company says that the launch of the new ice cream – with the company’s name on the labels -- demonstrates PureCircle’s confidence in the great taste of its next generation stevia sweeteners.

PureCircle CEO Maga Malsagov said: “We have worked hard to develop and commercialize our next generation stevia leaf sweeteners. To demonstrate our confidence in their great taste, we are putting our name on this delicious ice cream. We hope consumers – and our customers – will drop by PureCircle Ice Cream trucks to savor what our next generation stevia can do in food and beverage products.”