Granulated sugar.
Sugar mills are manufacturing facilities that use a variety of raw materials to produce sugar products for use in a variety of food preparation tasks. Sugar producers may choose to focus on the production of a certain type of sugar product, such as granulated sugar. Other sugar-producing companies may be more diversified, creating a broader range of sugars for use in residential and commercial applications.
Sugar cane.
Any sugar mill will take one or more natural sources and refine the material so that it produces the desired type of sugar product. Mills can use organic resources like sugar cane, sugar beets, or corn to create sugar that can be used in cakes, soft drinks, candy, and cereals. Depending on the type of sugar product being produced, the choice of raw materials and the type of equipment used in sugar mills may vary.
Sugar beets are a source of sugar.
Sometimes called sugar refineries, sugar mills operate in many parts of the world. While the processes used to create sugar products were once entirely manual, the mechanization of food production in the late 19th and early 20th centuries made the mass production of sugar possible. As sugar became widely available, prices also fell. This made sugar and its products much more accessible to families of all economic classes.
As with many types of manufacturing, sugar manufacturing has undergone a number of changes since the mid-20th century. The presence of information technology to drive the production machinery allowed for the production of larger volumes of products, requiring fewer employees in the sugar mills. Strict adherence to standards has resulted in a more consistent quality of finished products, which in turn has increased consumer confidence.
Even in the face of rapid growth and the availability of artificial sweeteners, sugar mills continue to thrive around the world. Much of the production has moved to countries where production costs are lower. However, there are still sugar mills in operation in countries such as the United States and Great Britain that have been in production for more than a hundred years. As long as consumers continue to demand sugar for residential and commercial use, mills are likely to continue producing.