Birth of a crystal

At OJSC "Slutsk SUGAR Refinery" they told and showed what path beets take before turning into sugar

 Slutsk sugar continues to win the hearts of consumers in different countries and continents. Not only Belarusians, but also Russians , Kazakhstanis, and Tajiks can no longer imagine their day without this product. Several years ago it was appreciated in CHINA. And in 2023, he even reached Africa! How is this strategically important product produced and will it be in abundance in 2024 ? For answers, journalists went to the sugar capital of Belarus - the city of Slutsk, to follow with their own eyes the path of sugar beets from the field to the conveyor belt and store shelves.

Provide for yourself and your neighbor

In our republic, four factories produce sugar. We went to one of the largest industrial enterprises in the country - OJSC Slutsk Sugar Refinery, which occupies more than 30% of the Belarusian sugar market. The plant is confident that our compatriots will definitely be provided with this sweet product in the new year. Enough of it for everyone!

“White gold” is produced in abundance in our country. At the Slutsk sugar refinery alone - about 1250 tons per day. With such volumes, we will not only be able to feed ourselves, but also send some of our products for EXPORT .

Slutsk sugar in the famous white-red-blue packaging has long been successfully sold not only on the domestic market, but also in RUSSIA, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Israel and other countries. Even China and Africa are on the list of consumers.

How is this strategically important product for our country produced?

Life will become sweeter

If the theater begins with a hanger, then the sugar refinery begins with a beet station. There are four of them at this enterprise: in Slutsk, Timkovichi, Osipovichi and Kletsk. Root crops are delivered here by road or rail from almost all over the country. Some collective farms send sugar beets directly to the plant.

– In total, it is planned to process 1 million 430 thousand tons of sugar beets. The numbers are impressive! In the entire 60-year history of the plant, 2023 is the second highest yield. It was possible to exceed these volumes only in 2019, when 1 million 590 thousand tons were collected, notes Andrey Strom, chief technologist of Slutsk Sugar Refinery OJSC. At the plant, beets are stored in special piles, from where they are moved to the washing shop. Special equipment removes sand, dirt and grass residues so that the clean root crop can be used for processing. From the moment the beets enter the sink until they turn into white crystals, about 16 hours pass. What happens during this time?

First of all, the clean root crop is sent for slicing. On the day of our visit to the enterprise, this process was controlled by beet cutter operator Alexander Dobrolet. He has been working at the plant for 15 years: he makes sure that the cutting of beets occurs without violations or failures, and at the end of the shift he manually changes the knives and sends the used ones to the automatic cutter. Alexander Dobrolet admits that he loves his job, even though it is not the easiest. He says that he will miss the plant and his colleagues when he retires soon.

Already crushed chips move from the beet cutters along the conveyor. A diffusion stage awaits it to extract the juice. Meanwhile, we go to the operator of beet juice defecation, Lyudmila Kozel.

– At this stage, preliminary and main purification of the juice occurs with the addition of lime MILK and carbonated gas. Pure juice passes through special filters, sediment is separated from it and non-sugars are removed. At the end we get a good, high-quality product,” explains the specialist. – We do analyzes and maintain the technological regime set by the chief technologist. Tests are scheduled twice an hour, and a laboratory technician checks every two hours. The quality of sugar depends on our station, so all processes and parameters must be strictly observed.

The filtered juice is sent for condensation and evaporation to the state of syrup. The finished product is boiled down and crystallizes under vacuum. Experts monitor how sugar “grows” in real time. For this purpose, the devices are equipped with microscopes, the image from which is transmitted to a computer monitor.

– Massecuite is prepared from the syrup in a vacuum environment - white sugar with an intercrystalline solution, which is subsequently separated from the solid fraction in a centrifuge. And then it is dried in the drying department and packaged,” explains the chief technologist of the enterprise, Andrey Strom. – In one vacuum apparatus there are 55 tons of massecuite, from which the output will be about 28 tons of sugar.

The process at this stage takes about three hours. In total, 15–16 hours pass from washing the beets to obtaining sugar. The company produces about 1,250 tons of “white gold” per day. Since the production is waste-free, profits are made from the sale of not only sugar itself, but also secondary products - molasses and beet pulp, which are used to feed livestock.

Focus on quality

The decision to build a plant in Slutsk with a capacity of 3 thousand tons of sugar beets per day was made by the Council of Ministers of the BSSR on June 22, 1960, and the work itself started a year later. In October 1964, training began for 112 workers at the Zhabinkovsky sugar factory, and a sugar workers’ department was opened in Slutsk PTU-97 for food workers.

The plant accepted the first beets for processing on December 21, 1965, and two days later it produced sugar. The acceptance certificate for the first stage of the Slutsk sugar refinery was signed on December 25, 1965. This date is considered the birthday of the enterprise.

Over the next few years, the team mastered the production of sugar from imported raw sugar, as well as the production of refined granulated sugar. The second stage of the plant was put into operation - the refinery shop, followed by the packaging shop. The pace and volume of production increased: if in 1966 the plant produced 10.6 thousand tons of sugar, then in 1983 – already 94.8 thousand tons.

Almost 60 years later, the plant continues to actively modernize. And last year 2023 was no exception. The company built a fourth storage tank for beet sugar syrup with a capacity of 42 thousand tons (in terms of more than 22 thousand tons of sugar). In mid-December it had already begun to be filled. Now the company will be able to use warehouse space more efficiently.

– We will fill our sugar warehouses, the rest of the products will be stored in the form of syrup. There will be no need to remove additional storage facilities,” clarifies Andrey Strom. – In general, the volume of containers for sugar syrup today is 168 thousand tons.

In 2023, a new molasses storage tank was also put into operation, and the lime department and sugar packaging department were reconstructed.

Today, almost all enterprise equipment has sensors installed that transmit information to the control panel. Thanks to this data, computer operators monitor the performance of the entire production cycle.

Food industry indicator

Sugar production is a seasonal business. As soon as the sugar beet harvest starts, crop processing immediately begins . The process usually takes several months and ends with the calendar year.

– What happens at the plant when the root crop runs out? - I ask the chief technologist.

“We don’t sit idle,” the specialist notes with a smile. – After each season, the equipment needs to be repaired and cleaned, because it worked continuously for four months. Some parts need to be replaced with new ones. This is what we are doing. And at the beginning of March everything starts up again to process sugar syrup.

One hundred gifts of nature - to every home

The Slutsk Sugar Refinery OJSC includes the Starodorozhsky fruit and vegetable plant, which produces more than 80 types of products: juices, preserves, jams, jams, tomato sauces and much more. All products are made exclusively from natural berries, fruits and vegetables. The company has its own fruit and berry garden with an area of ​​more than fifty hectares, where these gifts of nature are grown. What sets products from Starye Dorog apart is that they do not use preservatives, dyes or other additives in their production.

The company's products are highly valued not only by consumers, but also by jury members of various competitions. Thus, at the award ceremony for the winners of the XXV Republican competition of consumer preferences “Product of the Year - 2023”, the unitary enterprise “Starodorozhsky Fruit and Vegetable Plant” OJSC “Slutsk Sugar Refinery” became the winner and took the Grand Prix in the nomination “Juices and nectars (vegetable)” for tomato juice directly pressed with sugar and SALT from the StaDar brand. The company also became the holder of a first degree diploma and a winner in the nominations “Snack bars (Canning group)” and “Juices/Nectars/Drinks” for products under the “StaDar” brand.

Products produced in Slutsk have long become goods with a mark of quality, which is confirmed by dozens of diplomas and awards. Thus, at the beginning of December 2023, the annual award ceremony for the winners of the Republican competition of consumer preferences “Product of the Year - 2023” took place. OJSC "Slutsk Sugar Refinery" was recognized as the winner in the "Sugar" nomination for pressed white sugar of the TS2 category. The company also won the Grand Prix of the competition for white crystalline sugar of the TC2 category.

Dear colleagues, partners and consumers!

On behalf of the team of OJSC "Slutsk Sugar Refinery" and on my own behalf, I cordially congratulate you on the New Year and Merry Christmas!

On these holidays, I would like to say a huge thank you to the farmers and production workers who work on weekdays and holidays. By conscientiously fulfilling your duties, showing high professionalism, responsibility and hard work, you work to ensure that there are always fresh, tasty and high-quality products on the tables. Thank you to our customers for trusting us and choosing products under the brands of our company. After all, we work for you!

2023 was not the easiest year, but it was the year that taught us to overcome obstacles, find new solutions and complete even the most ambitious tasks. Let in the new year, 2024, all planned tasks also be successfully implemented. May our and your efforts lead to impressive results, may luck smile on everyone, may plans and dreams come true. HEALTH, happiness, prosperity, respect and love to you in the new year 2024!

Sincerely, General DIRECTOR of OJSC "Slutsk Sugar Refinery" Vitaly Vladimirovich Markovets

For many years, OJSC "Slutsk Sugar Refinery" has the status of "The Best Sugar Refinery in the EAEU".

The enterprise produces about 1,250 tons of “white gold” per day. Since the production is waste-free, profits are made from the sale of not only the sugar itself, but also secondary products - molasses and beet pulp, which are used as animal feed.

5 facts about the Slutsk sugar refinery

One of the largest food industry enterprises in the country

Occupies more than 30% of the sugar market in Belarus

About 60% of products are exported

About 1250 tons of sugar are produced per day

The best sugar refinery in  the EAEU for many years

Yulia GAVRILENKO

Photo by Tatiana MATUSEVICH