Sugar factory Groß-Gerau
Overview
| Name | Zuckerfabrik Groß-Gerau |
| Founded | 1882/83 |
| Decommissioned | 2007 |
| Founders | August Bergsträsser (sugar factory Waghäusel)
Anton Schudt, Rheinfelder Hof
Peter Heil
Bankdirektor G. Hedderich
G. Schönberger |
| Type of company | AG (corporation) |
1882
Meeting to found a sugar factory. Groß-Gerau is chosen as location as there are a railway junction, a good road network and favourable water conditions.
View of the factory from the year of foundation 1883.
In July, the contract of association is signed. In November, the construction permit is granted. The building costs amount to 784,500 German Mark, the daily processing capacity is 250 tonnes of beets.
The construction is conducted by Maschinenfabrik [engineering works] Sangerhausen. As the construction costs exceed the capital stock of the association, a loan at the bank for trade and industry in Darmstadt is taken out.
1884/85
In September the first beet campaign begins in the middle of the German sugar industry crisis. There is an oversupply of sugar, primarily through the sugar imports from Russia which is supported by Russian export bounties. The sugar price fell from 60 to 36 German Mark per decitonne. Shareholders and beet suppliers renounce a part of the beet price and the bank for trade and industry grants another loan.
1886/87
A bad harvest of beets with very low sugar content (12.1 %) and a low sugar price lead to losses.
1894
Conversion of the whole factory to electrical energy.
20 April 1920
Merger with the sugar factory Offstein with effect from 1 April 1919. The merger with Offstein seems to make sense as the Groß-Gerau plant has severely suffered during war and the funding of the necessary investments is not ensured. The new name is now Zuckerfabrik Offstein – Groß-Gerau.
November 1920
Accession to the special interest group of southern German sugar factories.
1924
Start of the cube sugar production.
1926
Founding member of the Süddeutsche Zucker-Aktiengesellschaft.
Summer 1948
Reconstruction of the factory begins. During war, front operation and administration building have been burnt down and the roof of the main building has been destroyed.
Campaign 1982/83
Shutdown of Zuckerfabrik Wetterau in Friedberg. Zuckerfabrik Groß-Gerau takes over the beet quota. In this context, the plant is fundamentally modernized and the beet processing capacity is raised to 8,500 tonnes per day.
12 December 2007
After the campaign the factory is decommissioned. The demolition is completed in 2009.
