Stevia Soul expands portfolio and launches in Brazil the first line of chocolates and chocolate sweetened naturally

Sweets with no added sugar or aspartame arrive to meet demand for healthy products. Company bet on market segmentation and marketing actions on social networks to increase in 100% its sales in 2014

As a reflection of consumers ' quest for a healthier lifestyle, diet and light food market has gone through a period of expansion in Brazil. According to the Brazilian Association of dietary foods (Abiad) there was an increase of 800% in the consumption of products in the last decade. An eye on the opportunity to explore a niche yet little explored – the healthier version of traditional and organic chocolates and chocolate-flavoured-Stevia Soul just enlarge your portfolio, betting on products naturally sweetened with stevia.

A pioneer in planting and plant extraction that sweetens up to 300 times more than refined sugar, the company of Paraná has developed an extensive market research to identify new items more consumed by households. According to Meron Bahia, marketing manager of the company, the survey revealed that due to increased purchasing power, foods like yogurt and achocolarados emerge as the most appear in shopping carts – after the basic items such as rice, beans, meat and coffee. The result of the research served as the kickoff to the new line of chocolates and chocolate brand, pioneer in the use of stevia as a sweetener for food.

In addition to the traditional sweeteners in sachet, and liquid stevia-based culinary, Stevita line also includes five new products: chocolates in milk chocolate flavor bar, white chocolate and chocolate with cashews; the chocolate powder and chocolate milk diet. "We have as premise to develop products that can be consumed by the whole family. And as our chocolates and chocolate are sweetened naturally, may be part of the menu of the children, the elderly, pregnant women and anyone who wants to maintain a more balanced diet, "says Rashid.

High segmentation Among the strategies for the launch of products, Stevia Soul bet on market segmentation combined with marketing campaigns on social networks and tasting actions in specific events. Your visual communication will be geared towards achieving as target audience women from 30 to 60 years, mainly responsible for purchases of family. The company, however, does not rule out the communication with other consumer profiles. "Despite the high decision-making power of the female target, our proposal does not restrict our campaigns, if only because the goal is that the products are on the table and accessible to every family," punctuates the marketing manager.

Another proposal of the brand to work the product launch was the investment in branding. The idea was to create a visual identity among all items of Stevita line, through packaging that follow the same design language. "We explore how features curved lines, in addition to elements such as the drops, leaves and colors that refer to nature. All this makes a direct link with the line Stevita stevia, and its main raw material ".

Betting on digital word-of-mouth as important resource at the launch of his new chocolates and chocolate, the Stevia Soul still invests in promotional activities on social networks, like Facebook, in addition to maintaining its official website as an important channel of communication with the public and end sellers.

Within the investments in offline media, the company participates in the most traditional market events and fairs to present the news to resellers. "Accordingly, our business partners and internal team make all the difference. The word of mouth is even more relevant when it comes to food, "says Rashid, which provides for 2014 the release of new versions for the chocolates in bar, among other products, plus provide a 100% growth in the company's revenue.

About the Stevia Soul – the Brazilian brand complete 25 years of life, healthier than ever. Established in 1988, the Stevia Soul was the first Western industry having a plantation own to process stevia leaf-casting in the Brazilian market the first sweetener actually healthy. Over the years the company has expanded its activities and offers consumers of Brazil, United States, Spain, Middle East, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay a variety of products, with the brands Stevita, Fit Sucralose and Dolce Vita as their rent-heads.