Our Stevia and 
Stevioside Experience Benefits You

Let’s take a trip back to 1995. In January 1995 JAJA Group, Inc. was incorporated. We were selling other products and had never heard of stevia or stevioside..

One of our staff in China told us that his uncle was in charge of a facility that was making a "Sugar" that had no calories, no carbohydrates, no fat. He said he thought it was from a tree. It was all natural and healthy. The Chinese Government had long ago approved its use as a sweetener, and the facility was exporting to Japan where it was also approved. The FDA was about to approve it according to his uncle and he was very keen to get into the USA market with this "New" sweetener.

We thought it as maple sugar, because maple sugar comes from a tree. But Maple sugar has carbohydrates and calories. We asked him to ask his uncle if it was maple sugar. He asked and came back with a reply like it was not maple, but some little shrub that had really sweet leaves. The shrub was called stevia rebaudiana bertoni. We had never heard of this but saw a really big opportunity. We thought that the sugar industry would try and kill it. But we asked for samples anyway. Our staff member went to his uncles facility got some samples and sent them to us.

Stevioside: The First Taste

We tasted the samples of stevioside (white powder extract of the stevia leaf), and were amazed. So little was all it took. This product was a miracle. It was a potential "Home Run product." But there is always a drawback so we started doing research. What we found was that only two companies in the USA were selling stevia and stevioside on the internet. One of these companies was in Texas. They were importing from Paraguay and selling wholesale and retail. The other company was in the mid west but not located in Illinois and was the Texas company’s customer.

Attaining Higher Stevioside Percentage

He was getting stevioside with a 85-59% stevioside compound and was looking for a consistent 92% stevioside compound.

Due to the long standing tradition of aqueous extraction in China, the staff at the facility had great skill and could guarantee even better. They could guarantee 92.15% stevioside compound. Then they worked on their methods and the skill and knowledge increased and they could get 92.25%, today JAJA Stevioside™ is guaranteed to have a minimum of 95.25% stevioside compound.

More Companies Jump On the Bandwagon

Soon more and more companies came into the market selling wholesale and retail. There are only a few companies in the world actually producing stevioside. The vast majority are and were simply buying based on price from whoever was the cheapest seller with no regard to taste. We tested their products and they tested our products. We attended industry trade shows and other sellers of stevioside taste tested our product and we taste tested theirs. What everyone found is that our stevioside was the best tasting over all others. Stevioside Manufacturers started contacting us asking how we were able to remove the bitter taste and other foul tastes in stevioside. That told us that our stevioside was a superior product. So we did what anyone in our position would logically do. We named the product and created a trademark for it JAJA Stevioside. Then we took an interest in the facility so we could assure that no other company could get the quality of stevioside that we could.

How we Began Retailing
Stevia and Stevioside

Originally back in 1995 we were only interested in selling JAJA Stevioside for wholesale, but many individual consumers came to us requesting to buy direct. We kept refusing but they kept asking again and again. Finally we agreed to sell direct to consumers.

You Asked We Innovated For You

We started packaging in paper packets like sugar and sweet and low are packed which was the standard method that every other company was packing in but our customers started complaining that they were wasting stevioside. So we looked at the problem and came up with shake top bottles. Apparently that was a really good idea as so many companies decided to copy it. Some even went so far as to copy the colors and look of our labels. So we innovated again and came up with a rectangular shape bottle that not only looked better, but it fit easily into a shirt pocket, purse or brief case.

Ethically Assuring Quality

Our facility purchases stevia leaf direct from the local native Chinese farmers who are independent business people growing under organic conditions, and processing in China using native Chinese workers in a facility controlled by us to assure quality we are directly supporting the local farmers and improving their lives and the lives of their families. And it is being done ethically.

In 2003 Smarter Health Corporation was spun off of JAJA Group, Inc. to sell JAJA Stevioside and related health products. Today JAJA Stevioside is the acknowledged leader in quality and taste. It has become the world wide benchmark.

We are constantly experimenting to enable us to better advise our wholesale and manufacturing customers around the world.. Currently our manufacturing customers around the world including the USA include: cosmetic companies, dietary supplement companies, tooth paste and mouthwash companies, in some countries there are bakeries and other food companies using JAJA Stevioside (though not in the USA). In the USA we fully comply with the FDA rules and label and sell JAJA Stevioside as a dietary supplement or ingredient in a dietary supplement, not as a food ingredient. That explains why you do not see it in the USA in your favorite diet food products.