Ragus’ New Specialist Sugars Factory Prepares British Success Story for a New Phase of Growth

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ragus Sugars today announces the opening of its new multimillion-pound factory for the production of specialist sugars. The Slough Trading Estate facility, one of the most advanced of its kind in the world, was built using British expertise and emphasises Ragus’ faith in its future and Slough’s skilled workforce. It will help Ragus build on its position as a supplier of bespoke sugars and syrups to food, baking, pharmaceutical and brewing industries.

‘We travel across the world to source sustainably grown crops that we turn into specialist sugars used in products from medicines to cakes, cereals and much more,’ says Ben Eastick, Director, Ragus Sugars. ‘We’re a British manufacturer in a global market and have expanded through the recession due to our market insight, strong customer service and ability to make any specialist sugar product. The new factory prepares us for a strong future, especially with changes happening in our industry.’

Other companies make bespoke sugars. However, they rely on the bi-products that result from refining white sugar. There’s a problem with this: global cane prices and EU import duties mean that it’s increasingly hard to buy enough raw cane at the right cost to profitably produce white sugar and its bi-products. Ragus bypasses these issues for two reasons. First, its factory can process sugar beet as well as cane. Second, as it makes premium products, it can cope with higher raw material prices.

‘With the new factory we’ve volume on tap to help brewers, soft drinks manufacturers, bakers and pharmaceutical companies adjust to a potential lack of availability of sugars (especially a shortage of white sugar). Whether or not a shortage comes to pass, the new facility combines with our in-depth expertise in specialist sugars to put us in a great position to grow,’ says Ben Eastick.

The factory is equipped with the latest machinery for the highly efficient drying, sieving, screening, blending and bagging of sugar. It will significantly cut power and water usage compared to its old site, helping Ragus achieve its commitment to reduce carbon emissions year-on-year.

The factory is accredited to all food production standards including ISO14001 and BRC Global Standard Delivery. It houses custom-made stainless steel syrup inversion pans and syrup storage tanks. Much of the machinery was built and installed by UK firm Musk Engineering, which outbid – on price and quality – European firms.

Ragus also relies on the latest technology to track raw materials, meet schedules and deliver goods on time: its on time in full (OTIF) figure for customer deliveries runs at 99.7 per cent.

‘We’ve been a part of the Slough community since 1928. And make no mistake – there’s a really skilled workforce here that’s critical for a company like ours that competes overseas. We’re also delighted to fly the flag for Britain and to have used British expertise to build the new factory. This is an exciting time for our business and employees and we’re looking forward to taking our business on to a new level,’ concludes Ben Eastick.

ENDS

About Ragus

Ragus is a leading importer and manufacturer of sugar products based in the UK. It refines and produces a range of sugars and syrups – including ethical sugars and syrups – to suit all applications. The applied expertise of the Ragus Sugars team produces a diverse range of products with variations of colour, texture and taste. Raw materials are sourced from certified suppliers, cane sugar from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and beet sugar from within the European Union. Manufacturing processes are certified to BRC and ISO9001 and all products are backed by world-class service levels.