Brings back memories as a pest control technician of my visits to Spalding factory many years ago. It really is a fascinating and complex operation to produce our sugar!
As a retired British sugar employee of over 40 years it brought it all back to me and I saw on the big photo a shift manager who I worked with until till he moved up the ladder to Newark unfortunately the factory I used work at was at allscot in the West Midlands it closed in 2007 and is now an housing estate there were eighteen factories when I started at allscot in 1966 and now there are only 4 all in the east of England very sad in a way but I suppose that is progress.
Lovely memory from when I worked there for Laing Construction when we totally refurbished the factory and built the sugar silos and elevator tower in 1976, I was chief electrician it was a very complex but a very enjoyable time of my working life, thanks for the video. 💚
Hi Andrew, really enjoyed your tour of the factory, this brought back memories to the mid 70's to the time I served my engineering apprenticeship at Peterborough Sugar Factory, I was there until it closed in the early 90's
Hi Andrew, great videos, thoroughly enjoy them all.I live in Cumbria, wife orginally from Sleaford , lived up here since 1979..Visit Lincs area many times in the year , always enjoy driving around and watching the farming life ...Newark Factory , passed many times whilst playing rugby for Newark.
Hi Andrew love ever mint of it last time in there must been in the 70's and 80's taking in Sugar stone from Derbyshire when I work W.H Phillips forward to next one anyway thank you .
Great second video Andrew of The sugar beet factory again many thanks. I suppose the factory work shop must be well equipped because if a major break down is experienced it must be all hands on deck to get the problem fixed and to get it up and running again asap. I remember looking around Ipswich beet factory in the 90s as a student from writtle college. Thanks again Tom Macpherson
Good morning Andrew. Thank you for the two factory tour videos. Having been involved in growing beet that’s taken into Bury for the last few years, it’s been great to watch the process having not had the chance to have a look round the factory myself yet. Certainly very interesting to see.
Excellent second half of the tour thank you. I last looked around a beet factory in 1980, at Spalding, an evening trip out from Caythorpe, not sure why we didn't go to Newark
So now we know how beet is turned into sugar. Quite a lengthy and precise operation. Thanks for showing us the process. Although I was slightly involved in sugar beet production in Hampshire back in 1964, I knew nothing of the process after it left the farm. I think it was taken by railway at Winchester to its destination and the farm received sugar beet pulp back from the factory. This was packed in hessian sacks which were often solid and warm. Until I began watching you, that was the limit of my knowledge. So thank you so much for enlightening me. Interestingly, the Co-op stores only sell Tate and Lyle. I wrote to their head office asking why they didn't support British farming and stock Silver Spoon. Needless to say, I got no reply. And they claim to be great supporters of British growers and producers.
Thanks for your message. I’m not surprised you didn’t get a reply. I’ve managed to speak to the head buyer of the Co op and got a non descript answer. They say it’s Free Trade which supports farmers in poor countries. 🤷♂️
Brilliant video's of the process of sugar and the tour of the factory, I often wonder if the general public realize how much work go'es into the sugar they buy from the supermarkets. Thank you again for your weekly video's.
Great content Andrew field to crystal a process that lots of people will never have seen. Have you thought about doing a shorter version for The Real Countryfile ?
Excellent video Andrew, surprised at the lack of staff inside the plant. Realise that most of the process is automated, but there must be times when problems occur. Were they all hiding from the man with the camera ?????
Hi layton, we do maintenance on the parts of the factory that aren't running, and we continue to process sugar juice into white sugar. Also some factories have other processes that run all year round, such as an anaerobic digestion plant that generates electricity, a gas turbine boiler house that exports electricity, and a bioethanol plant.
Brilliant video One question is all the sugar in bags stored there for the whole year and sold day by day or week to say supermarkets or does it all go to a central factory for sale across the year Just wondered 👍👍 it must be a hard job to sort demand out as you never know how much customers will need 👍👍
Hi Andrew! Interesting to see inside, wery clean up. Do they dry beet pulp or bag it, maybe both? Here we have both and transport it to milk farmers over the hole country.
@@WardysWaffleAndrewWard yep i just fort you was going to go into how much they make, - how much goes back into the farming side of things (facts & figures on a yearly basis)
Great video Andrew. There's no sugar beet grown in Kent as far as I know so it's great to learn the process. Question.. film what I see there is no waste product at all. Its this correct?
Hi James, we do maintenance on the parts of the factory that aren't running, and we continue to process sugar juice into white sugar. Also some factories have other processes that run all year round, such as an anaerobic digestion plant that generates electricity, a gas turbine boiler house that exports electricity, and a bioethanol plant.
Would it be possible to feed cattle or stick with the shredded sugar beet or would it contain too much sugar or possibly be mixed as a diet with other grains and minerals to make a diet Rashon
No, it stops taking beet in around early March and there is usually a lengthy maintenance programe over the summer. This is one of my questions to James so watch part 3.
I hear this morning all loads being sampled an going in wet tip due to frosted beet, sorry to say but it seems self inflicted never ever had this problem in the past, why cant it be lifted and stored before the frosts like in america so they are prossesing good beet and not slowing down production.
Not heard that yet but I know they are looking at the frost impact more. 2012 was a bad test for frost, in this area half the crop couldn’t be harvested and rotted in the ground. Sugar reduces once beet is lifted, that’s the problem. I’ll ask for the next update.
@@WardysWaffleAndrewWard i must thank you sincerly for doing what you do, very well done you are a good ambasador for the arable farming feternity, your trial work and costings i find rivveting.nth lincs farmworker.
Brings back memories as a pest control technician of my visits to Spalding factory many years ago. It really is a fascinating and complex operation to produce our sugar!
As a retired British sugar employee of over 40 years it brought it all back to me and I saw on the big photo a shift manager who I worked with until till he moved up the ladder to Newark unfortunately the factory I used work at was at allscot in the West Midlands it closed in 2007 and is now an housing estate there were eighteen factories when I started at allscot in 1966 and now there are only 4 all in the east of England very sad in a way but I suppose that is progress.
What made you stay there for 40 years John?
Amazing how the crop and processing side has changed.
Great video Andrew 👍👌
We should all buy British.
Cheers Andrew, Love the smell of that factory when I drive passed 👍
Lovely memory from when I worked there for Laing Construction when we totally refurbished the factory and built the sugar silos and elevator tower in 1976, I was chief electrician it was a very complex but a very enjoyable time of my working life, thanks for the video. 💚
That would of been a big job.
Hi Andrew, really enjoyed your tour of the factory, this brought back memories to the mid 70's to the time I served my engineering apprenticeship at Peterborough Sugar Factory, I was there until it closed in the early 90's
That would of been interesting
Another well put together video Mr Ward, and thanks to British Sugar for allowing you.
Nice video and information i am also working sugar factory am centrifugal operator
Astonishing, Thankyou again for sharing. 👍👍🤜🤛🇬🇧
Hi Andrew, great videos, thoroughly enjoy them all.I live in Cumbria, wife orginally from Sleaford , lived up here since 1979..Visit Lincs area many times in the year , always enjoy driving around and watching the farming life ...Newark Factory , passed many times whilst playing rugby for Newark.
Thank you. 😊👍
Hi Andrew love ever mint of it last time in there must been in the 70's and 80's taking in Sugar stone from Derbyshire when I work W.H Phillips forward to next one anyway thank you .
Very good tour and interesting well done
Great second video Andrew of The sugar beet factory again many thanks. I suppose the factory work shop must be well equipped because if a major break down is experienced it must be all hands on deck to get the problem fixed and to get it up and running again asap. I remember looking around Ipswich beet factory in the 90s as a student from writtle college. Thanks again Tom Macpherson
Thanks Tom.
Good morning Andrew. Thank you for the two factory tour videos. Having been involved in growing beet that’s taken into Bury for the last few years, it’s been great to watch the process having not had the chance to have a look round the factory myself yet. Certainly very interesting to see.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Fascinating tour and informative video Andrew. Thank you.
😊👍
Excellent thankyou so very much for posting .
Very interesting, Nice to see the process of making sugar, I've been in there a few times with a bulk tanker taking out finished product.
Excellent second half of the tour thank you. I last looked around a beet factory in 1980, at Spalding, an evening trip out from Caythorpe, not sure why we didn't go to Newark
So now we know how beet is turned into sugar. Quite a lengthy and precise operation. Thanks for showing us the process. Although I was slightly involved in sugar beet production in Hampshire back in 1964, I knew nothing of the process after it left the farm. I think it was taken by railway at Winchester to its destination and the farm received sugar beet pulp back from the factory. This was packed in hessian sacks which were often solid and warm.
Until I began watching you, that was the limit of my knowledge. So thank you so much for enlightening me.
Interestingly, the Co-op stores only sell Tate and Lyle. I wrote to their head office asking why they didn't support British farming and stock Silver Spoon. Needless to say, I got no reply. And they claim to be great supporters of British growers and producers.
Thanks for your message. I’m not surprised you didn’t get a reply. I’ve managed to speak to the head buyer of the Co op and got a non descript answer. They say it’s Free Trade which supports farmers in poor countries. 🤷♂️
@@WardysWaffleAndrewWard Thanks for backing me up on that one.
Brilliant video's of the process of sugar and the tour of the factory, I often wonder if the general public realize how much work go'es into the sugar they buy from the supermarkets. Thank you again for your weekly video's.
I don’t think they do and thank you.
Good morning Andrew, absolutely brilliant, look forward to the video when you come down our way to Bury
Would like to visit this week!
Fascinating as ever.
Thanks Andrew, very informative
Fantastic work Andrew 👌🏼💪🏼👍🏼
Glad i found your channel
Thanks for watching.
Very interesting and informative Wardy….Thank you. S
Thanks Simon, see you later. 😊👍
the photo wall is a nice idea....
Interesting stuff! 👍
Great videos
Brilliant video Andrew it’s been a while since I’ve seen the process of making our lovely British sugar! Fenland Rob
😊👍
Great video thanks
Great video very interesting to c the whole process sadly the sugar beet industry is long gone here in southern ireland
Very good then thank you, Andrew
Thanks for calling by yesterday Mark and thanks for the comments to Rhonda. 👍😊
Good video Andrew .does it still smell near the factory always new I was near Newark with my truck window down great video
It does a bit!
Great content Andrew field to crystal a process that lots of people will never have seen. Have you thought about doing a shorter version for The Real Countryfile ?
I hadn’t, you’ll have to ask Olly!
Would love to see the power plant, maybe a tour of that?
Excellent video Andrew, surprised at the lack of staff inside the plant. Realise that most of the process is automated, but there must be times when problems occur. Were they all hiding from the man with the camera ?????
Not that I know of. I’ll add to my list of questions!
Great video Andrew, in the questions part can you ask what they do at the factory during the closed season please.
Will do, that’s one of the most popular questions!
Hi layton, we do maintenance on the parts of the factory that aren't running, and we continue to process sugar juice into white sugar. Also some factories have other processes that run all year round, such as an anaerobic digestion plant that generates electricity, a gas turbine boiler house that exports electricity, and a bioethanol plant.
Brilliant video
One question is all the sugar in bags stored there for the whole year and sold day by day or week to say supermarkets or does it all go to a central factory for sale across the year Just wondered 👍👍 it must be a hard job to sort demand out as you never know how much customers will need 👍👍
I think I mentioned it. Most sugar goes to Bury beet factory to be bagged up. I’m doing a video from bury soon so you’ll see what happens.
Great to see an Well told 👍. Can they sell the strips u where eating as a change
I don’t think so.
A great reason to buy Silver Spoon and NOT Tate & Lyle sugar who do not use British sugar beet only imported sugar cane.
Glad you’ve been taking note! 👌👍😊
Hi Andrew!
Interesting to see inside, wery clean up. Do they dry beet pulp or bag it, maybe both? Here we have both and transport it to milk farmers over the hole country.
Both I think.
Fantastic work Andrew - but did any one else notice how Andrew did not follow the process all the way to the end part to where they get Animal feed .
That’s part 3
You did see some animal feed being loaded
@@WardysWaffleAndrewWard yep i just fort you was going to go into how much they make, - how much goes back into the farming side of things (facts & figures on a yearly basis)
Part 3
Great video Andrew. There's no sugar beet grown in Kent as far as I know so it's great to learn the process.
Question.. film what I see there is no waste product at all. Its this correct?
All waste product is used. Soil, stones, lime, animal feed. I’ll note that as one of my questions to James. 👍
Quick question, not being flippant. What does everyone do at the factory when sugarbeet isn’t being lifted?
Huge maintenance programe goes on but I’ll ask and put it in part 3.
Thanks for putting that together
Very interesting
Question is any of the sugar beet
Used to make ethanol
I’ll add to the list of questions for James! I think it has done.
Looks like French fries 😆😆
Hi Andrew great video as ever is the animal feed in shreds or pellet form and does it go out in bulk or on bags thanks
It’s in both forms and bulk and bags.
Great video Andrew… what do all the staff do for the rest of the year after sugar beet has finished?
I’ll add to the list of questions for James to answer!
Hi James, we do maintenance on the parts of the factory that aren't running, and we continue to process sugar juice into white sugar. Also some factories have other processes that run all year round, such as an anaerobic digestion plant that generates electricity, a gas turbine boiler house that exports electricity, and a bioethanol plant.
Hi ya Andrew, great video, quick question, out of the four factory’s, from the biggest to the smallest where is Newark? Thanks.
Slicing tons in order is Wissington, Bury, Newark, Cantley
@@WardysWaffleAndrewWard thanks Andrew keep up the good work!!
Great be nice to know what happens to soil stones and weeds and how many etc
The first video shows all 3. The soil and is recycled and sold. I’ll add the other 2 to my list of questions!
@@WardysWaffleAndrewWard I saw it was sold on first but in bulk or expensive little bags as in john innis stuff
Would it be possible to feed cattle or stick with the shredded sugar beet or would it contain too much sugar or possibly be mixed as a diet with other grains and minerals to make a diet Rashon
It can be mixed
Morning Andrew, a lot of background noise , difficult to make out factory workers voices at times. can you add subtitles .
I wondered that! It needs to be done from my laptop which is in the office! I’ll do it this afternoon, apologies.
Allan for Australia 🇦🇺 and we grow lots of sugar cane farmers so what is the difference between you sugar beets
You are allowed to use around 25 plant protection products on cane which are banned in the UK. I’ll add your question to the list for James to answer!
Does the factory stay open all year round, making sugar or part of the year
No, it stops taking beet in around early March and there is usually a lengthy maintenance programe over the summer. This is one of my questions to James so watch part 3.
Thanks, saves me asking.
I hear this morning all loads being sampled an going in wet tip due to frosted beet, sorry to say but it seems self inflicted never ever had this problem in the past, why cant it be lifted and stored before the frosts like in america so they are prossesing good beet and not slowing down production.
Not heard that yet but I know they are looking at the frost impact more. 2012 was a bad test for frost, in this area half the crop couldn’t be harvested and rotted in the ground. Sugar reduces once beet is lifted, that’s the problem. I’ll ask for the next update.
@@WardysWaffleAndrewWard i must thank you sincerly for doing what you do, very well done you are a good ambasador for the arable farming feternity, your trial work and costings i find rivveting.nth lincs farmworker.
Thanks David,
Why has it changed color from blue to green please ???
Sorry, what has changed colour?
The colour of the company logo it used to be blue now it's green just asking why is it change colour & thanks for that Reply back 🚜👍
Not sure but I’m colour blind between blue and green’ 🤦♂️
Can you ask about why they have Change color From blue to green please thank
Will do.