Daesang expands Sweevero allulose supply in North America

South Korean ingredients producer Daesang Corporation is expanding sales and technical support for its Sweevero allulose portfolio in North America, citing demand from food and beverage manufacturers developing lower-sugar recipes. In an announcement dated 16 October 2026, the company reported that North American allulose sales increased by 450% year on year in 2025 and that its customer network had reached approximately 30 businesses. Those are supplier-reported commercial figures relating to its existing business; the release does not identify a factory opened in October or newly commissioned additional capacity.

Daesang entered the North American allulose market in 2023 and launched Sweevero as a global sugar-reduction brand in 2024. Its customer base now covers beverages, dairy, confectionery, nutrition products and sauces, according to the company. Rather than providing only a bulk sweetener, the business is developing application-specific combinations of allulose, other sweetening ingredients and taste-modulation systems. The suitability of each blend depends on the product’s flavour and texture targets, processing conditions and the ingredient rules of the destination market.

Allulose is a monosaccharide found naturally in small quantities in certain foods. Daesang describes it as approximately 70% as sweet as sucrose while providing about one-tenth of the calories. The comparison is an approximate ingredient characteristic, not evidence that replacing sugar in any recipe produces the same proportional reduction in the finished food’s energy content. Fat, starch, protein and other components remain relevant, and the amount of allulose needed to reach a particular sweetness target can change the calculation.

Conventional sugar performs several functions beyond sweetness. In bakery products it contributes solids, influences water availability and participates in browning reactions; in frozen desserts it affects sweetness and freezing behaviour. Drinks and sauces present different challenges associated with flavour balance, mouthfeel and stability. Replacing sucrose therefore requires attention to texture and processing as well as the nutritional specification. A formulation that tastes balanced in a chilled beverage may not behave the same way after heating or freezing.

Daesang is using Sweevero to combine different sources of sweetness and functional ingredients when a straight substitution would not meet the target recipe. High-intensity sweeteners can provide strong sweetness at low inclusion rates, but may not supply the bulk or physical properties of sugar. Allulose can contribute some of those properties, while other ingredients are selected to address texture and taste. The composition and sensory result must be assessed in the actual finished formulation rather than inferred from the performance of an ingredient in isolation.

Daesang’s ingredient portfolio already includes a crystalline format announced on 15 September 2026 for dry and solid applications, including confectionery, bakery mixes and chocolate. A crystalline ingredient may be easier to meter into a dry formulation than a syrup, although particle size, dissolution and handling behaviour still require production-line checks. That September launch is background to the October commercial update, not another product release newly announced on 16 October.

Daesang’s established manufacturing base is in South Korea. It says it invested approximately KRW 30 billion in July 2023 to establish a dedicated allulose production facility at its starch and sweetener plant in Gunsan. The company also refers to patents related to production enzymes and food applications. These assets support its stated ability to supply North American customers, but the October announcement does not provide the plant’s current tonnes-per-year output, utilisation level or a committed expansion budget.

Shipping ingredient supplies from Korea to North American factories requires consistent specifications, batch traceability and sufficient local inventory. Ingredient manufacturers need consistent composition, documentation, lot identification and delivery performance, especially where a customer operates several processing plants. Daesang says its US subsidiary is strengthening local technical and commercial support. Separate company product information refers to inventories in three US warehouses, although local stockholding does not mean the allulose is being manufactured in the United States.

The 450% year-on-year growth figure refers specifically to North American allulose sales in 2025, rather than revenue booked in 2026. A rise of 450% year on year indicates an increase relative to the previous year’s base, but the release does not disclose absolute sales, tonnes supplied or the distribution of business across product categories. About 30 customers is a useful indicator of breadth, not a measure of factory-scale penetration or independently verified annual demand. These limits are important when assessing how quickly the ingredient is moving from trials to repeat industrial use.

The group’s wider plan includes Canada, Latin America, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia, subject to their individual regulatory frameworks and market conditions. Food ingredient rules and the permitted wording of nutrition claims differ by jurisdiction. A commercial application accepted for one market cannot be assumed to have the same legal status or labelling treatment elsewhere. Daesang says it is exploring opportunities for additional production capacity and a more geographically diverse supply network, including possible local manufacturing in important markets; it has not announced a completed overseas project.

The existing Gunsan plant and Daesang’s US distribution and technical support underpin the current North American offer. The company has not set a date or budget for another plant, disclosed its existing capacity in tonnes or identified a committed overseas production project. Customers adopting Sweevero still need to establish the finished formulation’s sensory performance, process stability and regulatory status before commercial production. Any future production expansion would require a separate, confirmed investment announcement.