PureCircle was recently granted a Chinese patent directed to its proprietary process for scaling up production of its next generation Reb M stevia leaf sweetener. The Chinese patent is aligned with the Company’s other global IP on Reb M production, and serves to further strengthen the company’s position as the world’s leading supplier of innovative stevia ingredients. PureCircle has 194 patents granted, and approximately 350 patents pending, globally. Beyond patents, and further enhancing its broad-based intellectual property, the company has extensive trade secrets and know-how resulting from years of leading edge R&D and process optimization in the area of stevia ingredients.