Swiss Sugar

Yesterday, we went to celebrate 100 years of Swiss sugar at a sugar factory in Frauenfeld - Zuckerfabrik. I have been told that Switzerland turned to the production of its own sugar because of problems importing it during WWI. After that Switzerland vowed to be self-sufficient in certain products, one of which is sugar. Sugar in Switzerland comes from sugar beets.

All of the sugar produced by Zuckerfabrik is used in Switzerland; none of it is exported. Between 15% and 20% of the sugar is sold as sugar in packets or cubes. The rest is used in food production in Switzerland.



The process goes like this:
1. The farmers plant sugar beets. Around 7,500 farmers plant 16,000 hectares of sugar.

2. It is harvested and shipped to the sugar factory. The sugar beets are dumped on a large cement basin that has a ditch at one end.


3. Using water, the beets are slowly moved into a canal. The canal leads to a series of conveyers and mixers which all help to clean the dirt from the sugar beets.

 4. After washing the sugar beets are cut and sugar juice is extracted. The extracted sugar juice is processed in several cycles until it is refined. Both sugar juice and white sugar crystals are sold as product.

5. The product is then shipped out by truck and by train.



These things have been found at the factory in the sugar beets.
So basically your sugar is not just ordinary sugar.
It is also part shoes, soccer ball, sheep horn, metal and
some other unknown substances. Yummy!!

6. The dirt from washing and the pulp from cutting the beets are not wasted. These are turned into high quality potting soils, fertilizers, and animal feed. Above the machine is wrapping the pulp.

At the end of the tour, we each received a free beer, a free bratwurst, a free bag with a kilo of sugar, and free ice cream and cotton candy. Never in America would you receive this after going on a free factory tour. *Only in Switzerland*