Sugar beet: the white gold of Valois 

The birth of a strategic sector

The emergence of sugar beet cultivation in our region was a true agricultural revolution. In contrast to sugar cane, it gained its historical impetus during the Napoleonic era. Forced to plant 300 hectares as early as 1811, the Oise region saw the Valois area establish itself as a pioneering land. This agricultural success immediately generated industrial activity, marked by the establishment of local sugar refineries. The growth was so significant that it necessitated the adaptation of infrastructure, notably the development of the railway for trade and transport.

A Deep Industrial Root: Beaurain and Vauciennes

The economic development of the Valois region was closely linked to the processing industry. The sugar refineries of Vauciennes and Beaurain-Trumilly were the industrial beacons that shaped our landscape and employment. The Vauciennes plant, for example, was a complex integrating a sugar refinery, a distillery, and a pulp production facility. Activity there was considerable, with 143 permanent staff and 48 seasonal workers, processing up to 8,000 tons of sugar beets per day and producing 650 tons of granulated sugar daily. Although these sites have closed, their history, like that of the Memorial of the Francières Sugar Factory near Compiègne, is essential to the collective memory of the Oise.

From beetroot to sugar – The transformation process

How does one go from beetroot to crystallized sugar? Once pulled from the fertile soils of Valois, the beet arrived at the sugar factory (like those in Vauciennes or Beaurain-Trumilly). It underwent intensive washing before being cut into thin slices called cossettes.

These cossettes were immersed in hot water – this is the diffusion phase – allowing the sucrose they contained to be extracted, resulting in a cloudy, sweet juice. This juice was then purified to remove impurities and concentrated by evaporation until a syrup was obtained. The syrup was then cooked to induce sugar crystallization. Finally, centrifugation separated the sugar crystals from the residual molasses. This cycle, repeated every year, was the very source of our communities' wealth.

The economic impact

The intensity of the sugar beet industry has made the Valois region a major hub of industrial development. The need for machinery and transport has created a dense economic network, extending well beyond farmers and the sugar factories themselves.

• Agricultural Mechanization: The intensive cultivation and harvesting of sugar beets required robust equipment. Local or regional agricultural machinery companies collaborated closely with our farmers, supplying them with plows, seed drills and, later, the first harvesters.
• Transport and Logistics: The movement of beets and sugar promoted the development of the railway and trading and logistics companies in the Oise region.
• Industrial Suppliers: The sugar refineries, which were very energy-intensive, supported the activity of regional foundries and mechanical workshops responsible for their maintenance.

This industrial boom saw the emergence of major players such as Poclain, now based in Plessis-Belleville.