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“We want to blur line between wellness & indulgence”
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Monday, 23 September, 2024, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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 Swee10, a Bengaluru-based health-focused company, specialises in zero-calorie natural sweeteners derived from stevia leaves. It offers a natural, zero-calorie sweetener designed to provide the sweetness of sugar without the calories or impact on blood sugar levels. Stevia has been a late entrant in India and the bitter aftertaste of it has been a discouraging factor in the growth of stevia. Despite this stevia has seen several early adopters, which has contributed to its steady acceptance and growth in India, said Anvitha Rao, founder & CEO of Swee10, in an email interaction with Nandita Vijayasimha. Excerpts:
What has been your company’s journey so far and how it has achieved the feat of no bitter after taste in its products?
Our journey began when our parent organisation Chromachemie Laboratory was approached to create a reference standard for stevia. My husband and co-founder Ajey and I come from families afflicted with diabetes and having watched our grandparents and parents deal with the poor options available for diabetics in the Indian market, we were determined to create a natural alternative to sugar which would provide a no compromise source of sweetness naturally. At Chromachemie we have over 60 scientists engaged in advanced research to create a stevia sweetener which has no bitter aftertaste.
How did you lead to the creation of the company?
My own journey started the way most people’s fitness journey starts; in the pursuit of weight loss. Having lived a completely sedentary life at a desk for several years my health had started to suffer. Having experience in data and pharmaceuticals through my education and work experience, led to delving into the deep end of learning about the human body, diet and fitness and its impact on the overall health and wellbeing. Diet is the main lever to take control of one’s health and reverse the damage done due to several years of a poor lifestyle. One of the first things that is advised is to cut out sugar, this led to a search for an alternative which would satisfy one’s seemingly insatiable sweet tooth. It was around this time that stevia was seen to be a health benefit although it had the bitter aftertaste which could put off consumers completely. This led to creating a reference standard for stevia.
What are your expansion plans for the next 3 to 4 years?
At our company, research and product creation is what excites us. Over the next 3 to 4 years we want to expand our product offering, all in the zero-sugar wellness driven space. We want to be a company that creates products that blur the line between wellness and indulgence. We want to make sure you can have your cake and eat it too, all while prioritising health.
Research and data will always be at the heart of what we do and our plan over the next few years is to continue and build empirical evidence and research to back up the health benefits of all our products through studies and collaborations with the medical and nutrition community.
We are currently present in physical stores in the Bengaluru market only. Our focus over the coming years would be to expand our physical presence to other cities in India as well as internationally.
How diverse is your product range, and where can consumers find these products?
We currently offer a zero calorie stevia sweetener in multiple formats for easy usage as well as making it accessible to a wide price range. We have a line of zero sugar dark chocolates in three flavours which are made using only the purest cocoa butter. We pride ourselves on the fact that our chocolates have no preservatives, emulsifiers or stabilisers. Our chocolates are completely chemical- free.
We have made them available to buy on our website, Amazon, Flipkart, Tata 1Mg, besides several retail chains such as Namdhari’s, Organic Mandya, Organic World and pharmaceutical stores.
Can your product help combat the rising rates of obesity and diabetes?
Lifestyle changes, increase in sugar consumption and a sharp decline in physical activity have been the major contributing factors to the alarming rise in obesity and diabetes in India. Abdominal obesity especially is a big concern for us in India. The issue is a large one and there is no single magical answer to solve the issue. The only way to scale this mountain of an issue is by taking one steady step at a time. Our product aims to be one of those steps. It can be as small as replacing sugar in your morning coffee with Swee10, ensuring your day starts without a blood sugar spike induced by the usual sugary morning tea or coffee. It could also be in the form of ending your day with a square of Swee10’s zero sugar dark chocolates to satisfy your post dinner craving, ensuring you go to bed satiated but without a blood sugar spike.
Combating health issues can seem daunting, especially in the age of social media where every other video gives you diametrically opposing views. Our product wants to be a simple and trustworthy step that one can take to prioritise health. Extremes are never the answer, our product is a balanced step which helps its users stay consistent on their path to better health. The journey of a thousand miles also starts with one step, our product is that step towards a healthier India.
Why stevia can be evolved as an alternative to sugar?
Stevia is a plant which has a natural sweetness to it. It has been consumed extensively across South America for several years and finds usage in a variety of preparations. Stevia especially lends itself well to the preparation of Indian sweets. Being a natural source of sweetness with no side effects, stevia can be safely consumed by diabetics, pre-diabetics as well as anyone looking for a calorie-free alternative to sugar.
Throw some light on the growth of stevia based sweeteners in India.
Stevia has been a late entrant in India and the bitter aftertaste of it has been a discouraging factor in the growth of stevia. Despite this stevia has seen several early adopters which has contributed to its steady acceptance and growth in India. The widespread use of natural ingredients in consumer products has also been a driving factor. Stevia is forecast to be a $1.4 billion market globally by the year 2032 and India too will see significant contribution to this growth. Having solved the issue of its aftertaste we are confident of our product’s growth as well as the growth of stevia as a zero calorie sweetener in India.
What is the competition in the market?
There are several brands which have been trying to advocate for stevia as a safe and natural alternative to sugar. India’s biggest player also has a stevia-based solution to sugar. We are also here to make an impact in the market with what we believe is the best stevia.
What kind of studies have been done to prove its efficacy?
Stevia has been studied as a natural sweetener and there are several studies that have been published by reputed researchers in well known scientific journals. Stevia is recognised as safe by the FDA (GRAS). With the burgeoning interest in finding a natural alternative to sugar, we are very optimistic of much more research happening around the usage of stevia. We have research of our own being done at our company and hope to contribute to the research being done globally.
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