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Sweetness meets sustainability
How Michigan Sugar Company plans to produce 80 million additional pounds of sugar without planting another acre of sugar beets
Things are getting even sweeter at Michigan Sugar Company thanks to the largest capital investment made in the company ’ s nearly 120-year history .
In May 2024 , the grower-owned cooperative began operations of its new , $ 109 million molasses desugarization facility , located on the grounds of its sugar beet processing plant in Bay City , Michigan . The facility allows Michigan Sugar to process and remove additional sugar from 100 percent of the molasses it produces as a byproduct of the sugar extraction process . Simply put , Michigan Sugar can now produce up to 80 million additional pounds of sugar annually without planting another acre of sugar beets .
What ’ s more , over a ten-year period , the company ’ s grower-owners are expected to see millions of dollars in added revenue , annually , from the sale of the additional sugar .
“ This story is not just about economic development , but about sustainability ,” said Jim Roggenbuck , one of Michigan Sugar ’ s roughly 865 grower-owners , who operates Helena Farms in Harbor Beach , Michigan , and serves as Chairman of the Michigan Sugar Co-op Board of Directors . “ It means 80 million more pounds of sugar without any additional passes over our farm fields with our equipment , without any further spraying of our crops to ward off disease and pests , and without using any additional fuel on our farms to expand operations .”
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