Our Story

1880

Aged only 20, Charles Eastick, with his brother John Joseph at 25, excited by sugar’s recent rise into ubiquity to British life, begin a sugar analysis and consulting practice in the centre of London.

1882

Impressed by their ground-breaking work, Abram Lyle invites the Eastick brothers to set up a laboratory at his new Plaistow Wharf refinery.

1883

Tough times bring sugar production to a near halt. But Charles begins to experiment with the by-products of the sugar refining process. Golden syrup is born.

1885

The new sugar product, golden syrup, is packed for the first time into the what would become to be iconic metal tins.

1890

The brothers seek new adventures. John leaves to oversee the Bundaberg cane sugar production in Australia; Charles runs production at the Martineaus’ Whitechapel refinery, in the heart of London’s sugar industry.

1914

Britain edges closer to war. Charles’ attention is drawn to helping others and he devotes his time to maintaining the sugar supply during rationing. Later he will receive an MBE for services to his country.

1919

Sugar refineries are struggling and fast becoming part of history.

1928

Charles keeps inventing…

1930

Charles merges companies to produce inverted sugars.

1930s

Sugar continues to run in the family. Charles’ two sons join him: Douglas at Ragus and Fredrick as MD at Martineaus, which the family have a 50% shareholding.

1939

WWII has started and Charles needs to find an alternative to fruit.

1940s

Douglas serves his country in WWII, his role in charge of the RAF barrage balloons over Felixstowe docks where the sugar is making its way into the port.

1950

A period of intense change as the post-war demand for sugar soars. Grandsons Barrington and Ronald take over Ragus and introduce crystallised candy feed for apiaries and crystallised animal feed for farms.

1961

Charles’ son, Fredrick and his son Bernard, sell their shares in Martineaus and its Whitechapel refinery and Hammersmith-headquartered refiners Manbré & Garton take over.

1970

Ragus begins to sell industrial quantities of sugar syrups and raw cane sugars, supplying the manufacturers making biscuits and baked goods for high street retail chains. The workforce almost doubles as a result.

1978

Ragus is now the UK’s last independent sugar manufacturer.

1980s

Alongside its growing expertise in sugar syrup and cane sugar products, Ragus builds sales off the back of the reputation won during the unrest of the 70s as a reliable industrial sugar supplier. The Slough factory expands further.

1990

Ronald and Barry retire with the great grandsons of Charles Eastick, James, Peter and Benjamin, continuing their great grandfather’s hard work.

1990s

Ragus expands its customer base further, adding more brewers and pharmaceutical companies as well as food and beverage manufacturers. The resulting increased production pushes the limits of the existing factory.

2006

A customer required a quality branded product for its trade outlets. Ragus took inspiration from having the inventor of golden syrup as its founder to create the Eastick’s Golden Syrup brand in iconic tins and wholesale packaging.

2010s

The tens see further focus on industrial sourcing and sales of products such as liquid sugars, treacles and molasses, as more global household food and beverage brands join as customers.

2013

Benjamin, James and Peter develop Ragus from being a largely UK-focused into a full-service international operation.

2013

The new multi-million-pound state-of-the-art factory manufactures industrial quantities of pure sugar products, distributing to customers all over the world every day.

2017

In October 2017, Henry Eastick – Charles’ great-great-grandson – joins Ragus to champion responsibility, develop corporate philanthropy and support implementing efficiencies in the manufacturing environment.

2022

As customer demand for, and dependency on, products such as molasses increases, Ragus expands its supply chain partnerships and bulk storage capabilities to ensure continuity of supply during the pandemic and resulting global sugar market volatility.

2023

Responsibly sourcing and importing industrial quantities of primary cane and beet sugars and molasses from around the world that meet the highest quality and traceability standards, satisfying the needs of the most demanding customers.

2023

September 2023 marks the 95th anniversary of Charles Eastick’s incorporation of the company that was to become Ragus. Over this time, Ragus has evolved into Europe’s largest independent privately owned sugar manufacturer of specialist industrial pure sugar ingredients for global brands.

2023

1880

The origins of our pure sugars expertise

1882

Lyle and Easticks collaborate

Impressed by their ground-breaking work, Abram Lyle invites the Eastick brothers to set up a laboratory at his new Plaistow Wharf refinery.

1883

The birth of a legend – Golden Syrup

Tough times bring sugar production to a near halt. But Charles begins to experiment with the by-products of the sugar refining process. Golden syrup is born.

1885

Product and packaging innovation

The new sugar product, golden syrup, is packed for the first time into the what would become to be iconic metal tins.

1890

A focus on refining production processes

1914

Sugar supply is maintained during wartime

1919

The Eastick family survives industry consolidation

Sugar refineries are struggling and fast becoming part of history as they consolidate. Yet Charles and his family’s 11 sugar refining patents, along with their hard work, allow theirs to thrive.

1928

The origins of Ragus as we know it today

Charles’ enthusiasm and invention never wanes. He begins to make specialist sugars and fruit-based cordials in a dedicated factory he has built in Slough, west of London: the precursor to the first Ragus factory.

1930

Production innovation continues with invert sugars

Charles merges the Slough factory with another of his companies to produce inverted sugars: a sweeter, moist sugar perfect for baking and confectionery. This merged operation will become the Ragus we are today.

1930s

A second generation of the Eastick family joins the business

Sugar continues to run in the family. Charles’ two sons join him: Douglas at Ragus and Fredrick as MD at Martineaus, which the family have a 50% shareholding.

1939

Golden syrup drives further invention

WWII is brewing and fruit, now a main raw material of Charles’ factory, is no longer available. This inspires our first branded product, Golden Shower, a honey alternative made from crystallised golden syrup.

1940s

Maintaining wartime sugar supplies

Douglas serves his country in WWII, his role in charge of the RAF barrage balloons over Felixstowe docks where the sugar is making its way into the port.

1950

Growth and a third generation of Easticks

1961

Consolidating the family’s sugar interests

Charles’ son, Fredrick and his son Bernard, sell their shares in Martineaus and its Whitechapel refinery and Hammersmith-headquartered refiners Manbré & Garton take over.

1970

Product diversification and sales drive growth

1978

Ragus reaches its 50th birthday

At 50, Ragus is the UK’s last independent sugar manufacturer. We celebrate family ownership with our golden jubilee.

1980s

Customer demand for continuity of supply fuels expansion

1990

A fourth generation of the Eastick family takes over

Ronald and Barry retire with the great grandsons of Charles Eastick, James, Peter and Benjamin, continuing their great grandfather’s hard work.

1990s

Growth and diversification of blue-chip customers

2006

Eastick’s Golden Syrup becomes second Ragus branded product

2010s

Quality and customer service underpin growth

The tens see further focus on industrial sourcing and sales of products such as liquid sugars, treacles and molasses, as more global household food and beverage brands join as customers.

2013

Full-service international operation

Benjamin, James and Peter develop Ragus from being a largely UK-focused into a full-service international operation.

2013

A new factory services global operations

The new multi-million-pound state-of-the-art factory manufactures industrial quantities of pure sugar products, distributing to customers all over the world every day.

2017

A new generation with new responsibilities

2022

Pandemic: unprecedented times require rethinking ‘just in time’ supply

2023

Global procurement underpins international operations

2023

A history still in the making – Ragus reaches 95

1880

2023

Our expert team today

Providing leading customer support to industry, responsibly sourcing sugars, production of pure sugar products and final delivery. As a manufacturer ourselves we understand the importance of fulfilling orders on-time, to specification and in full.

Sourcing is at the heart of our business

Sourcing the world’s responsibly grown and processed primary cane and beet sugars from African, Asia Pacific, Caribbean, European and South American approved suppliers.

Bulk manufacturing expertise

Our expert factory team manufactures high volumes of pure sugar syrups and crystallines at our advanced production facility, using custom-engineered plant and machinery. We rigorously quality test every batch of pure sugars in our production laboratory, ensuring we meet consistency and product specifications for the best performance in the final applications.

Seamless supply chain

Delivery is the final stage of the sugar beet and sugarcane journey. Sourced from our suppliers and manufactured into pure sugars, our products go to our customers in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.

95 years of unique knowledge

Everything we’ve learned – from our historic roots in 1880 as a sugar analysis and consulting practice to the advanced research our specialists in the development laboratory carry out today – gives us truly unique knowledge.

Ethical standards

Our approach to responsible sourcing and traceability reflects 95 years of heritage as an independent business, procuring natural cane and beet sugars.

Read about our standards

How we deliver

From our advanced UK production facility, we deliver pure sugars in bulk to our industrial food and beverages and pharmaceutical customers.

Discover what we do

Our heritage