PureCircle announced that it will vastly increase the amount of StarLeaf™ stevia it plants in 2018. It plans to plant nearly 16,000 tons in 2018, an increase of about 200% over the prior year. As with any agricultural crop, these plans are subject to various conditions such as weather. PureCircle's StarLeaf™ is a proprietary non-GMO stevia plant that yields roughly 20 times more of the newest and best-tasting stevia leaf sweeteners than conventional stevia varieties. These stevia sweeteners make it far easier for food and beverage companies to deliver great-tasting, sugar-reduced and sugar-free products across a wide range of food and beverage categories. With the planned increases in planting, the company estimates that 80% of the stevia plants it uses this year will be StarLeaf™ likely increasing to 90% next year. Expanding the planting and use of its proprietary StarLeaf™ stevia leaf will enable the company to meet the increasing demand of food and beverage industries for the best-tasting and most sugar-like zero-calorie, stevia sweeteners. PureCircle utilizes a wide and expanding global agricultural network for its stevia supply, sourcing it from an increasing number of countries around the world. Part of the dramatic increase in StarLeaf™ planting this year is the result of new farming partnerships in North Carolina. Some farmers there working with PureCircle are starting to use land that once grew tobacco, to grow StarLeaf™ plants. Planting stevia enables them to grow and sell a highly-sought after crop, the demand for which is growing, and to productively use their farming acreage.