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A brief history
British Sugar UK - key dates
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| 2007 |
UK's first bioethanol plant opens at Wissington | |
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| 2006 |
EU agriculture ministers formally adopt radical reform of the EU sugar sector | |
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| 2004 |
Planning application to build the UK's first bioethanol production facility at Wissington | |
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| 1991 |
Associated British Foods bought British Sugar, and is still the parent company today. | |
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| 1982 |
British Sugar Corporation became a Public Limited Company, trading as British Sugar. | |
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| 1981 |
The government sold its 36% stake in the British Sugar Corporation. | |
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| 1972 |
Launch of the Silver Spoon retail brand for granulated, cubed, caster and icing sugar. | |
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| 1956 |
The Sugar Act replaced the 1936 Act and set up the Sugar Board, which guaranteed the price for growers, both in the UK and Commonwealth. | |
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| 1936 |
The British Sugar Corporation was created by the Sugar Industry (Reorganisation) Act to manage the entire UK sugar beet crop. | |
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| 1912 |
The first sugar factory was built at Cantley in Norfolk. | |
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| 1909 |
The National Sugar Beet Association was founded to establish the manufacture of sugar from beet as a British industry. | |
The British beet sugar industry as we know it began in the early 1900's and the first factory was built by the Dutch at Cantley in Norfolk in 1912. During the 1920's a further 17 factories were erected and until the 1930's, the crop was processed by 13 autonomous companies in 18 factories throughout the country in an unplanned and uncoordinated operation.
In 1936, those factories were amalgamated by the Sugar Industry (Reorganisation) Act to form one organisation - the British Sugar Corporation - to manage the entire domestic crop; a development which marked a significant stage in the progress of the UK beet sugar industry.
The government remained a shareholder until 1981 when it sold its stake. The word 'corporation' was dropped from the company name in May 1982 and subsequent developments have further enhanced the security and future growth of British Sugar.
The company was acquired by Berisford International in 1982 and subsequently purchased by Associated British Foods on January 2, 1991. The deal brought the Silver Spoon brand together with numerous other top brands in the UK grocery market: notably Twinings tea, Ryvita and Kingsmill to name but a few.
A more detailed history of British Sugar and the origins of the beet sugar industry are available here.
Origins of British beet sugar industry >>
History of British Sugar >> |