PureCircle Limited Update on lending facilities (3993D)

TIDMPURE

RNS Number : 3993D

PureCircle Limited

19 February 2020

19 February 2020

Update on lending facilities

PureCircle (LSE: PURE) (the "Company"), the world's leading producer and innovator of great-tasting stevia sweeteners for the global food and beverage industry, has secured approval from its lenders of a Waiver and Amendment to its Senior Facility Agreement which became fully effective on 18 February 2020.

This provides for full waiver of all previous defaults and secures an additional $8.6m liquidity into the business from shareholders by way of an unsecured subordinated loan.

Jimmy Lim, Group Chief Financial Officer said:

"This agreement and additional liquidity is a significant step forward for PureCircle as we move to resolve the issues which came to light during 2019. We would like to thank our lenders for their ongoing support."

Enquiries:

Jimmy Lim, CFO

Phone: [phone]

Alina Slotnik, Vice President of Global Marketing

Email: [e-mail]

Phone: [phone]

Newgate Communications, Media Relations

Elisabeth Cowell

Giles Croot

Email: [e-mail]

Phone: [phone]

Notes to Editors

About PureCircle

-- PureCircle is the only company that combines advanced R&D with full vertical integration from farm to high-quality, great-tasting innovative stevia sweeteners.

-- The Company collaborates with farmers who grow the stevia plants and with food and beverage companies which seek to improve their low- and no-calorie formulations using a sweetener from plants.

-- PureCircle will continue to: lead in research, development and innovation; produce a growing supply of multiple varieties of stevia sweeteners with sugar-like taste, using all necessary and appropriate methods of production; and be a resource and innovation partner for food and beverage companies.

-- PureCircle stevia flavor modifiers work in synergy with sweeteners to improve the taste, mouthfeel and calorie profile, and enhance the cost effectiveness, of beverage and food products.

-- Founded in 2002, PureCircle is continually investing in breakthrough research and development and it has been granted over 214 stevia-related patents with more than 300 applied for patents pending.

   --    PureCircle has offices around the world with the global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. 

-- To meet growing demand for stevia sweeteners, PureCircle is rapidly ramping up its supply capability. It completed expansion of its Malaysian stevia extract facility in March 2017, increasing its capacity to rapidly supply the newer and great-tasting specialty stevia sweeteners and helping provide ever-increasing value to its customers.

   --    PureCircle's shares are listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. 
   --    For more information, visit:  www.purecircle.com 

About stevia

-- Given the growing global concerns about obesity and diabetes, beverage and food companies are working responsibly to reduce sugar and calories in their products, responding to both consumers and health and wellness advocates. Sweeteners from the stevia plant offer sugar-like taste and are becoming an increasingly important tool for these companies.

-- Like sugar, stevia sweeteners are from plants. But unlike sugar, they enable low-calorie and zero-calorie formulations of beverages and foods.

-- Stevia leaf extract is a natural-based, zero calorie, high-intensity sweetener, used by global food and beverage companies as a great-tasting zero-calorie alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.

-- Stevia is a naturally sweet plant native to South America; today, it is grown around the world, notably in Kenya, China and the US.

-- The sweet-tasting parts of the stevia leaf are up to 350 times sweeter than sugar: stevia's high-intensity sweetness means it requires far less water and land than sugar.

-- Research has shown that the molecules of the stevia leaf are present and unchanged in the dried stevia leaf, through the commercial extraction and purification process, and in the final stevia leaf extract product. All major global regulatory organisations, across 65 countries, have approved the use of high-purity stevia leaf extracts in food and beverages.

-- For more information on the science of stevia, please visit https://www.purecirclesteviainstitute.com/

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [e-mail] or visit www.rns.com.

END

UPDGZGMZMRLGGZZ

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 19, 2020 02:00 ET (07:00 GMT)