Stevia over cigarettes

As the world gets more health conscious, more and more people are constantly looking out for sugar alternatives; that something which does not taste like a chemical but still takes care of the sweet tooth.

One such product which is fairly close and very successful is Stevia. It is the generic name for a plant leaf extract which makes a natural, calorie-free sugar substitute. Its not a new invention but has been around for hundreds of years but has become mainstream from the past 10 years.

In Greece, a group of farmers got together seven years ago to start cultivating stevia; they stopped growing tobacco and shifted to stevia. Some 150 farmers pooled in $557 each towards setting up the Stevia Hellas Co-operative. It is well on its track to make profits for 2019 and the market is only growing.

It sells liquid stevia extracts and stevia powders under its own brand name, La Mia Stevia, and also exports in bulk to Western Europe, Canada, the US and the UAE.

It is tapping into an industry that has enormous potential for growth as global sales of stevia are forecast to almost double to $818m by 2024, according to a study by the consultancy Research and Markets.

This is what we call spotting an enterprise before it takes off!