Truvia^® brand sweetener helps YoCrunch^® 100 calorie packs become a 1st in category success

Food and beverage manufacturers know the risks and rewards of launching a first-in-category product.  The key to success is developing a superior product that uniquely and effectively addresses the unmet needs of consumers.  The YoCrunch Company, LLC achieved a first-in-category product using Truvia^® rebiana.

In 2009, the YoCrunch Company, LLC saw such an opportunity and approached Cargill about formulating a new,  reduced-calorie spin off its classic YoCrunch^® product using a natural sweetener, Truvia^® rebiana, instead of an artificial sweetener.  According to Jim Nolan, YoCrunch Company, LLC CEO, “Working with Truvia^® (rebiana), we have been able to establish a first in the yogurt category – a calorie-controlled yogurt sweetened with a natural zero-calorie sweetener.  Offering consumers such a yogurt without artificial sweeteners is an important addition to YoCrunch^® yogurt’s unique positioning in the growing snack category.”

The goals for the new YoCrunch^® 100 Calorie Packs yogurt formulation were as follows:

• Reduce sugar
• Achieve the great taste YoCrunch^® is known for
• Keep the calories at or below 100 calories per 4 oz serving

Having logged over 30,000 hours formulating with rebiana, Cargill’s applications team used their knowledge and experience to create a great tasting yogurt that met the YoCrunch Company’s  high standards.  Truvia^® rebiana provides food and beverage companies a natural way to control calories and sugar in their food formulations.  It is available in many unique product forms and blends which provide customers with formulation versatility, as well as helps reduce common production challenges like dusting. 

Using Truvia^® rebiana in YoCrunch^® 100 Calorie Packs made it easy for the YoCrunch^® team to blend small amounts of the high intensity sweetener uniformly into their product at their plants.  “Our knowledge of ingredient development, applications and sales came together to develop the solution that YoCrunch^® was searching for,” says Melanie Goulson, Cargill Applications Manager.

The market performance of the YoCrunch^® 100 Calorie Packs has been impressive.  YoCrunch^® has experienced 25% growth over the past 4 years.  Since the introduction of YoCrunch^® 100 Calorie Packs with Truvia™ brand sweetener, YoCrunch^® had a 20% sales increase over the previous year in YoCrunch^® 100 Calorie Pack sales.  This innovative yogurt solution has led the way in transitioning yogurt from a breakfast food to a healthy afternoon and evening snack.  It has driven incremental afternoon and evening usage by bringing 53% more afternoon/evening eating occasions to the category than traditional yogurts (Catalina Source of Volume Study 2009). 

To find out more about how Cargill can help you develop innovative, market-defining solutions using Truvia^® brand sweetener please contact Breah Ostendorf at 952-742-6732 or breah_ostendorf@cargill.com.