The rich history of Litovel sugar factory goes back more than 140 years and it is intertwined with the history of the town of Litovel, the region of Litovel as well as the development of the sugar industry. Since the very beginning of its existence, the factory has witnessed a number of social, cultural and, last but not least, economic changes.
The first sugar campaign of the then Agrarian joint stock sugar factory in Litovel started in December 1871 and lasted for 45 days. During the first campaign 3264 tons of sugar beet were processed, and 300.7 tons of high-quality sugar were produced; the total profit of the campaign reached 21,500 guilders. The success of the campaign raised interest in the shares of the sugar factory.
After the Czechoslovak Republic was established, the sugar industry was fully under the control of the government. The trade in sugar was liberalised in 1921 and “the white gold” became one of the most important export products. The factory underwent a modernization process and iron parts were replaced by brass and copper ones. During the period of the First Republic, the sugar factory flourished, and expanded its economic as well as business activities.
After its nationalization in 1948, the factory remained part of a state company of North Moravian Sugar Factories until 1990. The number of employees gradually decreased due to overall mechanization and automation of the production process. After the Velvet Revolution in November 1989, the sugar factory was privitized and a joint stock company called Cukrovar Litovel, a.s. was established. The company was dissolved in 2000 owing to problems typical of the end of the 1990s.
In 2001 the assets of the company were bought at auction and the new owners entered into agree- ments on the supplies of sugar beet, invested in the renovation of the technical equipment and relaunched sugar production. The company changed its name to Litovelská cukrovarna, a.s. Under the new sugar regime introduced in 2003, the company was allocated a fair quota and the sugar factory in Litovel may trade “the white gold” again all over the Czech Republic. The sugar factory is one of no more than three sugar factories in the Czech Republic which still have Czech owners.
