Responsibly growing our most important raw materials
Sugar – grown in nature
Sugar beet and sugar cane are agricultural crops in which sugar (sucrose) is stored during the growth period. The sugar forms naturally in the plant. For this to happen, the plant needs water, carbon and the sun as an energy supply.
The sugar is stored as an energy source that provides the plant with its energy requirements for its first leaves as part of its natural metabolism. When these leaves push through the soil, sunlight is available again as an energy source.
Beet in the North, cane in the South
In general, sugar beet is grown in the Northern Hemisphere and sugar cane in the Southern Hemisphere. There are a few exceptions to this rule (sugar beet cultivation in Chile, for example).
Extracted nutrients returned to the soil as fertilizer
When grown agriculturally, the plants are supplied with nutrients that have been extracted from the harvested crop. With conventional cultivation, nutrients are added to the soil in mineral or organic form. With organic cultivation, fertilization is subject to certain regulations. The addition of nutrients to the soil means that they are available again to the plant for growth. The plant is also actively protected against weeds, pests and fungal diseases.
Harvesting the energy source
The plants are harvested before the plant uses the energy source to produce new leaves. The sugar that the plant has formed and stored is available in liquid form inside the cells as stored energy from the sun.
Ecological cultivation for organic sugar
Organic cultivation is subject to regulations applicable to various cultivation systems (associations). Compliance with regulations is certified by the organizations. The sugar produced using these methods is predominantly marketed regionally as organic sugar.