During this bike tour with Gilde De Baronie, you will dive into the history of sugar beet cultivation.
Before the discovery of the sugar beet as a source of sugar, sugarcane was the primary sweetener after honey. Sugarcane was imported into the Netherlands from tropical countries. After the French Revolution, the British blockade put pressure on sugarcane imports. The price became very high. As a result, people started looking for a substitute for sugarcane.
Compared to other countries, sugar beet cultivation in the Netherlands started somewhat later. But at the end of the 19th century, there was an impressive catching-up phase, with sugar factories popping up like mushrooms in West Brabant. The first factory was established in 1858 in Zevenbergen.
The cycling route passes by five former sugar factories: de CSM Breda, Leurse sugar factory in Zwartenberg, and in Zevenbergen Phoenix, Azelma, Suiker Unie, and De Verwachting.
