Exhibit 99.2
STEVIA CORP. APPOINTS EXPERT AGRICULTURAL CONSULTANT RODNEY COOK TO BOARD
--COMPANY BEGINS PLANS FOR DOMESTIC STEVIA CULTIVATION IN USA
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - (MARKETWIRE - OCTOBER 6, 2011) - STEVIA CORP. (OTCBB: STEV)
("Stevia Corp." or the "Company") a farm management company focused on the
economic development of Stevia, the fastest growing product in the alternative
sweetenersector, is pleased to welcome Mr. Rodney L. Cook to the Board of
Directors.
Mr. Cook provides vision and experienced leadership across areas of agricultural
practices and food processing from the application of research through to
growing operations. His career encompasses partnership development, strategic
planning, IP rights management and new product development. Mr. Cook is a
strategic thinker and planner with a proven ability to turn plans into reality.
He brings to Stevia Corp a track record of recognized leadership in the small
fruit industry including strong scientific insight including the development of
several new industry standards. He offers a unique combination of skills as a
practicing horticulturist with twenty years' experience in grower education
helping to delivertechnology transfer from university to field, and includes
extensive research and project development as well assignificant management
experience in growing business startups, turnarounds, private placement of
equity instruments, and experience in corporations, partnerships and cooperative
forms of business.
He currently owns and operates Ag-View Consulting LLC, of Olympia, WA, where his
experiences include working with the largest refiner of stevia in the world to
direct and support the development of stevia breeding programs as well as to
assist in trial agreements for expansion of the growing regions for global
stevia initiatives. He has assisted both growers and marketersby developing
training and education processes that offer alternative markets for a variety of
crops; has provided expert testimony, crop and market analysis for the blueberry
industry, provided third party verification and review of vision, strategy,
operational and research initiatives for improvement and expansion of prune and
raspberry development in Chile.
He was previously CEO and President of the multinational partnership, Naturipe
Foods, LLC, and prior to that as CEO and President of Producer Marketing Company
(Overlake Foods Corp.), and as President of Chilean owned (US based) Hortifrut
NA; as Managing Partner at Pan-American Berry Growers LLC, and in a variety of
leadership positions at MBG Marketing, the largest blueberry grower's
cooperative in the world. Mr. Cook earned his M. Sc. with Honors in Horticulture
and a B.S. with Honors in Resource Development at Michigan State University. He
has received several industry awards and actively participates in a number of
industry and community initiatives.
Mr. George Blankenbaker, Stevia Corp. President comments, "We are extremely
pleased by the appointment of Rod to our board. It is our intent to involve him
intimately with technical support planning and to assist in oversight regarding
the development of US research and trials aimed at both supporting our global
research as well as developing a domestic source of Stevia. We anticipate that
his experience will be of great strategic benefit to those plans and will
accelerate our program exponentially."
Further details of the Company's business, finances, appointments and agreements
can be found as part of the Company's continuous public disclosure as a
reporting issuer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") EDGAR database. For more
information visit: www.stevia.co.
ABOUT STEVIA CORP. (OTCBB: STEV)
Stevia Corp. is a farm management company focused on best practice agronomic
competency in order to deliver high value stevia through proprietary plant
breeding, excellent agricultural methodologies and innovative post-harvest
techniques. To date, the Company has acquired two grower supply contracts and
three nursery fields in Vietnam.In 2010, stevia products were launched across
thirty-five countries and 38 categories. Within two years of the USA market
opening, Nielsen-based retail consumption data indicated almost $1 billion of
retail sales. Market research group, Mintel, has said it expects sales of stevia
sweetened products to top $2 billion in 2011. Zenith International estimates
worldwide sales of stevia extract reached 3,500 tons in 2010 with an overall
market value of $285 million and forecasts the global market for stevia will
reach 11,000 tons by 2014 requiring the tripling of stevia leaf production at
the farm level to keep pace with consumer demand.For more information visit:
www.stevia.co
NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined
in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in
this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking
statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or
intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among
other things, growth of stevia global market, plans to expand stevia production,
use of resources, the development of new business opportunities, and projected
costs, revenue, profits and results operations. Actual results could differ from
those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such
factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new
projects and development stage companies. These forward-looking statements are
made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update
the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results
could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we
believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this
press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs,
plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should
consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the
risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most
recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic
reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACT:
Investor Relations
Crescendo Communications, LLC
Email: stev@crescendo-ir.com
Tel: +1-888-940-4050
Web: www.stevia.co
Source: Stevia Corp.