Village Tea Company Distribution, Inc., a division of Accel Brands, Inc., announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement with Guadalajara, Mexico based True Organics, S.A. DE C.V. for the rights to import and distribute Pura organic agave sweetener in the USA,  Mexico, Canada, Europe, Central and South America.

Pura is a line of all natural organic agave sweeteners available in 16 flavors. The product is competitively priced and will be available in 3 sizes (375ML, 750ML and 7ML sachets) that are perfect for retail, foodservice and hospitality.

Pura agave is the perfect complement for iced and hot coffees, specialty coffee beverages, cocktails, lemonades, smoothies, baking, pancakes and iced and hot teas. The product is certified organic, kosher, GMO free, dairy free, gluten free and vegan.

The company plans to introduce Pura to the US market in the natural and conventional grocery channels as well as the foodservice channel in the coming months. "The United States is a very important market for our products and we are extremely excited about the opportunity to work with a partner such as Village Tea Company, that truly understands our brand as well as the target market for our products in the U.S. marketplace," stated Themis Velgis CEO of True Organics.

US demand for alternative sweeteners is expected to advance 3.3 percent a year through 2015, according to a report on the Alternative Sweeteners Market released by The Freedonia Group of Ohio. In 2010, the alternative sweeteners netted $1.2 billion. By 2020, sales are predicted to hit $1.6 billion.

Stevia continues to be king of the alternative sweeteners, followed by agave nectar. According to the analyst, demand for agave nectar is projected to advance 8 percent annually to $22 million in 2015. Like stevia, agave nectar will benefit from a growing focus on natural foods, which has also driven a number of other trends in the broader sweetener market, such as rising use of less-refined sugars and evaporated cane, as well as the use of natural sugar substitutes that offer the advantages of alternative sweeteners.