The factory was originally built a century ago on the banks of the river Wissey, so that beet could be brought from across the fens by barge (and by rail). Under British Sugar ownership, smaller factories (such as the one at Ely) were closed and those that remained were expanded. Today, there are just five beet sugar factories in the UK.
This factory alone processes over 3 million tonnes of beet per year, and produces over 400,000 tonnes of sugar, almost 6kg of sugar for each person in the UK.
