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On 5th December 2006 at 10:00 a.m. BioVittoria and its Chinese Joint Venture Guilin BioGFS, inaugurated the opening congress of the PureLo Luo Han Guo Association in Guilin, China. The ceremony was presided over by the Vice President of the Association, Professor Quanbin Chen of Normal University.  Professor Chen is a recognised expert in the field of Luo Han Guo.

The opening address and welcome was given by the Association President, CEO and General Director of Guilin BioGFS Ltd and Production Director of Biovittoria Ltd, Dr. Lan Fusheng. The ceremony was attended by BioVittoria board members, Dr. Garth Smith, co-founder and Managing Director in China,  Mr. David Thorrold CEO of BioVittoria, and Mr. Stephen LeFebvre, Director and co-founder of BioVittoria. Many high ranking provincial and local government leaders attended.  Mr Wei Jitian,  Deputy Director of Agriculture for the Guangxi province, and Mr. Wei Gangqiang,  Director, Administration of Foreign Affairs of Guangxi Region addressed the meeting. Both strongly supported Guilin BioGFS’ development of the Luo Han industry in Guangxi, and Mr. Wei Jitian contributed a RMB 100,000 grant from the Guangxi Agricultural Department  to show support for the PureLo Luo Han Guo Association. Other attendees included the board members of the Association, grower representatives from all the major growing regions,  representatives from the regional science research centres and agricultural service centres as well as local and regional media. 

The Association is a non-profit organization. Association members include 12 regional agriculture services centres, 6 Luo Han Guo seedling production and processing companies, official representatives from 9 counties and 50 townships, and more than 1500 Luo Han Guo grower families. The Association is committed to building a stable and sustainable Luo Han Guo industry. Aside from organising and coordinating the Luo Han Guo production, the Association also provides financial and technical support to Luo Han Guo growers in China.

The establishment of the PureLo Luo Han Guo Association builds on Biovittoria's commitment to create a secure, stable supply of high quality Luo Han Guo.  Dr. Garth Smith, who recently received China's highest award for foreigners, the "Friendship Award", for his work in China, was quoted as saying "We are confident the PureLo Luo Han Guo Association will significantly benefit the growers, the province, and the entire Luo Han industry".

Updated: 29-May-2006  

PureLo® Approved as a  GRAS Food Ingredient

May 27, 2006 - Hamilton, New Zealand - BioVittoria Limited, a New Zealand product development and marketing company announced today that PureLo®,  their proprietary Luo Han fruit concentrate, has been approved as a  GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) food ingredient under FDA guidelines. An independent expert panel of internationally recognized and respected scientists has concluded that PureLo® is GRAS,  allowing PureLo® to be sold in the U.S. for use in the food industry. The GRAS status permits PureLo® to be used in a variety of foods and beverages as a sweetener and flavor modifier. 

PureLo® is a fruit concentrate derived from the Luo Han fruit grown exclusively in China. Luo Han has been used in China for hundreds of years to sweeten foods and beverages.  PureLo® is naturally produced, non-caloric, and 300 x the sweetness of sugar. BioVittoria  produces PureLo® from fruit harvested from its patented seedling varieties,  using a proprietary extraction process.  

PureLo® is produced under ISO 9001 certification, has OU Kosher certification, is  highly stable, soluble, and available in powdered and granulated formats.

PureLo® offers the food industry one of the few authentic naturally grown, safe, non-caloric sweeteners for inclusion into beverages, foods, and confectionary products.

BioVittoria has its corporate headquarters in the Waikato Innovation Park in Hamilton New Zealand.  Additional offices are located in the U.S. and production facilities are located in Guilin, China.

Updated: 27-Apr-2006
Biovittoria Limited celebrates the completion of Guangxi’s largest and most advanced Cool Store facility in Yanshan District, Guilin City, China.  
 

This state of the art storage facility marks the beginning of a long term commitment by BioVittoria to the development and growth of China’s Luo Han industry. The facility is a key infrastructural assest for scaling up production of Luo Han concentrate as it allows the fresh fruit to be stored and processed for up to 12 months. 

The opening ceremony was attended by over 150 guests, including senior government officials from both Guilin city and Guangxi province. Media, and industry partners were also in attendance. 

The ceremony began with a guest welcoming, followed by speeches given by Mr. David Thorrold, the CEO of Biovittoria, Mr Kairen Liu Warden of Yanshan County, Mr. Gangqiang Wei, General Director of Foreign Expert Administration, and Mr Chengyuan Liu, Vice Mayor of Guilin. The event concluded with the formal opening of the Coolstore building by Mr. David Thorrold and Mr. Yongqing Mo, Party Secretary for Guilin city. 

In an interview with the Media at the opening Mr. Yongqing Mo acknowledged the significant contribution that Biovittoria and BioGFS are making to the Luo Han Industry, and and pledged the ongoing support of the government to the growth of the Luo Han industry.