DE PERE, WIS.  — NewTree Fruit Co. has removed 100% of naturally occurring sugars from cranberry juice concentrate. Fruit juice has three naturally occurring sugars, fructose, sucrose, and glucose. To remove the sugars, the company uses a culturing method called de-sugaring.

The company is planning to expand its de-sugaring process to other juices and offer its services commercially for brands and products. With its de-sugaring process, NewTree is aiming to remove sugar from the supply chain rather than reduce sugar offerings in products to consumers through dilution, the company said.

Applications the company targets that may offer reduced or zero sugar benefits include fruit juice, flavored water, sports hydration, protein drinks, smoothies and yogurt prep, jellies, gummies, nutritional bars and RTD alcohol products.

“Consuming less sugar is a top priority for consumers today and there is an increasing expectation that healthier product solutions must also taste great, and NewTree Fruit Co. hits that mark,” said Chad Anderson, co-founder and chief executive officer of NewTree Fruit Company. 

NewTree was founded in 2014 by Mr. Anderson and his wife Kim along with inventor and founder Luc Hobson. In 2012, around the time the company came to fruition, Mr. Hobson was contracted to develop a blackberry “super shot” with a specific level of polyphenols. As he concentrated the application, it became more viscous and the only solution was to remove the sugar. Around the same time, Mr. Anderson’s grandparents were in their early 90s and both diagnosed with diabetes, which created an “ah-ha” moment for the team to formulate better-for-you beverages with less sugar.