Sweet Feedom Takes The Food Industry By Storm

From a successful retail launch into independent health food stores, delis and farm shops to achieving listings with Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado, SWEET FREEDOM, the first natural sweetener made 100% from fruit is now being sold successfully into both large and small food manufacturers as an ingredient.  High profile restaurant customers include Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons and Whole Foods Market in Kensington all helping to make SWEET FREEDOM the new must have natural sweetening alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.

The founders Tina Michelucci and Deborah Pyner developed SWEET FREEDOM over three years with the aim of natural sweetness without the guilt.  SWEET FREEDOM is a versatile natural sweetener in a syrup format made 100% from fruit; just apples grapes and carob with nothing else added.  It comes in two versions; the Sweetener which has a neutral, sugar like taste and the Syrup, which is darker and has a richer maple syrup like taste. The retail product comes in a top down squeezy bottle with a drip free valve cap making it very clean and hygienic to use with no mess or stickiness.

A retail success

SWEET FREEDOM retail products were launched in 300ml squeezy bottles at the end of 2008, firstly to health food stores, delis and farm shops via several wholesalers of natural products across the UK and due to their success they are now stocked in Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado with other high street chains to follow.

Most recently, both versions of SWEET FREEDOM were awarded coveted Gold stars in the Great Taste Awards (Sweet Ingredients and Diabetic categories), the first sweeteners ever to achieve this.

The retail product is now also being exported to parts of the EU and further afield.

Restaurants and food service

Whole Foods Market in Kensington started the trend of high end restaurants offering SWEET FREEDOM as a healthier alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners for their customers to sweeten teas & coffee (they also offer for use on their crepes too) and Raymond Blanc also now orders SWEET FREEDOM for use at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons for both coffees and teas and for kitchen use.

Several other celebrity chefs have also requested samples and are currently trialling in recipes.

Food manufacturers

Building on the successful retail launch, SWEET FREEDOM is now being sold as an ingredient to both small and large food producers looking for a healthier alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. Product launches to date include cordials, fruit and nut bars, ice cream, cakes, chocolate truffles and flapjacks with cookies, muffins, coffee syrups, milk shake syrups, flavoured water, ready made porridge, 100 per cent fruit jams & spreads, dressings and sauces in the pipeline.  It is also being used by mixologists to sweeten drinks and cocktails in place of glucose / gomme syrups.

SWEET FREEDOM can be used to replace sugar, artificial sweeteners, honey, HFCS, glucose / gomme syrup, golden syrup, maple syrup, agave syrup and rice syrups in a wide variety of food and drink products.  It has 25% fewer calories than sugar and you can use 25 50% less gram for gram. Due to its low GL (Glycaemic Load) it is a good choice for diabetics and unlike honey it is vegan and registered with The Vegan Society.

Background

Deborah and Tina began researching sugar and alternatives from a health perspective in 2003.  This worldwide research, led to four books with Harper Collins, the first based on eating a low GL (Glycaemic Load) diet.  The GL is now widely accepted by health professionals and dieticians as a more relevant reference than the original GI (Glycaemic Index) when comparing how different foods affect blood sugar levels and in turn health and weight.  The GI is very general i.e. the GI of 1 tbsp of sugar is the same as the GI of 10 tbsps whereas the GL factors in both portion sizes and carbohydrate content.

The founders have also recently been shortlisted for the 02 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for their efforts in developing Sweet Freedom. Investors include food professionals who have built up their own multi million pound businesses as both manufacturers and in food service.

Find out more at www.sweetfreedom.co.uk