Redpath Sugar Ltd. (French: Sucre Redpath Ltée) is a Canadian sugar refining company that was established in 1854[2] and the first refining cane sugar in Montreal, Quebec.[3] Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario (with an additional packaging plant in Belleville, Ontario), the company is a subsidiary of the multinational American Sugar Refining.[1]
 | |
 The Redpath Sugar Refinery in Toronto | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sugar industry |
| Founded | Montreal, Quebec, Canada (1854) |
| Founder | John Redpath |
Area served | Canada[1] |
| Parent | American Sugar Refining |
| Website | redpathsugar |
History
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The business was founded in 1854 in Montreal, Quebec, by Scots-Quebecer entrepreneur John Redpath. Located on Saint Patrick Street on the bank of the Lachine Canal, the sugar refinery complex was the first of its kind in Canada, using sugar cane imported from the British West Indies.[2] Its construction was part of the economic boom that, during the 19th century, turned Montreal from a small town to (then) the largest city in Canada and the country's economic engine.
In 1857, John Redpath's eldest son, Peter, became a partner; his brother-in-law, George Alexander Drummond, joined the firm in 1861. Unable to compete with the giant low-cost producers in the United States, for the three years between 1876 and 1878, the company ceased operations.
Following the tariff protections implemented under the National Policy by the government of John A. Macdonald, the company reopened in 1879, as did St. Lawrence Sugar, a new competitor established in Montreal. At that time, the company was reorganized as the Canada Sugar Refining Company Limited.[5] George Drummond took over when Peter Redpath retired in 1888. Under his guidance, the company's success allowed for construction of a new six-storey plant built on the existing site, doubling production capacity.
In 1930, the company merged with the Dominion Sugar Company Limited of Chatham, Ontario, and became known as the Canada and Dominion Sugar Company Limited. In 1959, a controlling interest in the company was acquired by Tate & Lyle, a British firm. In 1973, the company changed its name to Redpath Industries Limited.
The Redpath Sugar Refinery was built on the Toronto waterfront in the late 1950s, at the time of the completion of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, and it is still in operation. Tate family member Saxon Tate and David Davis, later a senior Conservative politician, were sent from Britain to restructure its Canadian subsidiary.[6][7] In 1980, the Montreal plant was closed and production was shifted to Toronto. In 2007, the company became a subsidiary of American Sugar Refining (ASR Group) following the sale of Tate & Lyle's sugar division, and it was renamed as Redpath Sugar Ltd. at that time.[8]
Refinery
editThe Redpath Sugar Refinery is a sugar storage, refining and museum complex in Toronto used by Redpath for sugar production. The refinery was founded in 1958 and has included a museum since 1979.
Imagery
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The Redpath sugar label shown at right celebrated the company's 150th anniversary in 2004. The Redpath logo, which is derived from John Redpath's own script, is Canada's oldest continuously-used food product trademark.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "About Us". Redpath Sugar. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
Redpath Sugar Ltd, who markets and sells sugar products in Canada under the Redpath Brand, is a part of ASR Group, the world's largest refiner of cane sugar.
- ^ a b "A short history of Redpath Sugar". Redpath Sugar. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "The Canadian Sugar Institute". sugar.ca. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
- ^ Redpath – request our truck
- ^ Company profile of Redpath Sugar
- ^ "Sir Saxon Tate, Bt". Daily Telegraph. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ Trefgarne, George (August 24, 2005). "What worked on the sugar beat..." London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-07-07.[dead link]
- ^ Redpath Sugar Ltd. – Federal Corporation Information.
- ^ "Redpath | ASR Group".
Further reading
edit- Davis, David (1988). How to turn round a company. Cambridge, England: Director Books, in association with the Institute of Directors. ISBN 978-1-870555-02-9.
External links
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- Official website
- Redpath Sugar Museum at the Wayback Machine (archived January 19, 2008)