February 18/Food & Farm Week -- WILD Flavors Inc. and Sunwin International Neutraceutical Inc. have finalized an agreement cementing a partnership to sell, market and distribute Sunwin International stevia extracts as well as formulate proprietary, natural sweetening blends for food and beverage products.

"Our customers have consistently recognized the value of utilizing high-quality natural ingredients in the development of food and beverage products and have expressed great interest in stevia-based sweetening solutions. We have experienced tremendous success in responding to our customers' needs, and investing in Sunwin International will allow for continued leadership and innovation in the industry. WILD Flavors' taste modification technologies, such as Resolver and FruitUp, will enable us to create natural sweetening systems and blends to meet our customers' expected needs for functionality but exemplify great taste," stated chief operating officer Kevin Gavin.

Sunwin International and WILD Flavors will partner immediately to obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration GRAS status for Sunwin International's stevia extracts. WILD Flavors expects to quickly commercialize many new and innovative product concepts and offerings with current customers for immediate entry in the market.

President of Sunwin International's U.S. subsidiary Jeff Reynolds, commented, "Consumer goods companies around the world are excited about the growth opportunities of using stevia in existing products and new products that are in the development stages. We strongly believe that the partnership with WILD Flavors will provide a competitive advantage by developing stevia based solutions that create superior tasting products. Sunwin International is a worldwide leader in the production of stevia, and WILD Flavors is a worldwide leader in the supply and development of natural and health-enhancing ingredients, flavors, colors, and innovative product concepts to the food and beverage industry. Together, we have the expertise necessary to work with companies to create stevia sweetened products that we believe consumers will love. Partnering with WILD Flavors will allow us to expand our global reach with exciting new healthy sweetening options."

From the February 16, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition