Zuccherificio di Cecina

The Zuccherificio di Cecina was a sugar factory located in the town of Cecina in the province of Livorno, Tuscany, Italy. The factory was built in the first half of the twentieth century during a period when Italy was expanding its domestic sugar production based on sugar beets. At that time several sugar factories were established across the country in order to reduce dependence on imported cane sugar.

The plant in Cecina processed sugar beets that were grown in the surrounding agricultural areas. During the annual production campaign, usually taking place in the autumn, large quantities of beets were delivered by farmers and processed continuously. The beets were washed, cut and refined into raw sugar. Like many sugar factories of that period, the complex consisted of large industrial halls, boiler houses, storage buildings and tall chimneys. For many years the factory was an important industrial employer in the Cecina area.

During the second half of the twentieth century the European sugar industry underwent major changes. Agricultural reforms, increasing competition and industrial consolidation caused many smaller or less efficient factories to close. As a result, the Zuccherificio di Cecina eventually ceased operations in the 1980s.