Redpath Sugar
Canadian sugar refining company with roots in Montreal and a major refinery in Toronto.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Redpath Sugar is a Canadian sugar refining company whose origins date to 1854, when Scottish-Quebec entrepreneur John Redpath established a cane-sugar refinery in Montreal. The original plant stood beside the Lachine Canal on Saint Patrick Street and processed cane sugar imported from the British West Indies. Its establishment made Redpath the first cane-sugar refining operation in Canada and connected the business to Montreal’s rapid nineteenth-century industrial and commercial growth. The company developed as a family-influenced enterprise. John Redpath’s eldest son, Peter, joined as a partner in 1857, while Peter’s brother-in-law, George Alexander Drummond, entered the business in 1861. During the 1870s, Redpath faced intense competition from large, low-cost American producers. The company suspended operations from 1876 through 1878, illustrating the vulnerability of Canadian refiners before stronger tariff protection was established. Following the implementation of the National Policy under the government of John A. Macdonald, the refinery reopened in 1879 and was reorganized as the Canada Sugar Refining Company Limited. Peter Redpath retired in 1888, after which George Drummond assumed leadership. The business expanded under Drummond and constructed a new six-storey facility on the existing Montreal site, approximately doubling production capacity. In 1930, Canada Sugar Refining merged with Dominion Sugar Company Limited of Chatham, Ontario, and adopted the name Canada and Dominion Sugar Company Limited. The company later entered a new phase of ownership when Tate & Lyle, the British sugar group, acquired a controlling interest in 1959. In 1973, the Canadian operation changed its name to Redpath Industries Limited. A major geographic transition occurred in the second half of the twentieth century. Redpath built a refinery on Toronto’s waterfront in the late 1950s, around the time the Saint Lawrence Seaway was completed. The Toronto site remains the company’s principal refining facility. The original Montreal refinery closed in 1980, and production was transferred to Toronto. The Toronto complex has also been associated with the Redpath Sugar Museum, which was established in 1979 and presents the history of sugar refining and the company’s industrial heritage. In 2007, Tate & Lyle sold its sugar division to American Sugar Refining, and Redpath became part of ASR Group. The Canadian business was renamed Redpath Sugar Ltd. Redpath’s operations are centered on refining and packaging sugar, with headquarters in Toronto and an additional packaging plant in Belleville, Ontario. The brand serves the Canadian market and is recognized through its historic wordmark, which is derived from John Redpath’s signature. The company has described that mark as Canada’s oldest continuously used food-product trademark. Its longevity reflects the evolution of Canadian food manufacturing from a nineteenth-century Montreal refinery into a modern sugar business within an international refining group.
History
Redpath Sugar began in Montreal in 1854, when John Redpath founded a refinery beside the Lachine Canal. The operation imported cane sugar from the British West Indies and was the first refinery of its kind in Canada. Its creation coincided with Montreal’s emergence as an industrial and commercial center, and the refinery became part of the city’s waterfront manufacturing landscape. The enterprise remained closely connected to the Redpath family during its early development. Peter Redpath, John’s eldest son, became a partner in 1857. George Alexander Drummond, Peter’s brother-in-law, joined in 1861. The company later struggled against lower-cost American competition and stopped operating for three years, from 1876 to 1878. It reopened in 1879 after the introduction of protective tariff measures associated with the National Policy. At that point, the business was reorganized under the name Canada Sugar Refining Company Limited. George Drummond assumed control after Peter Redpath retired in 1888. Under Drummond’s direction, the company expanded its Montreal facilities and built a new six-storey plant that doubled the site’s production capacity. In 1930, the company combined with Dominion Sugar Company Limited, based in Chatham, Ontario, becoming Canada and Dominion Sugar Company Limited. Ownership changed significantly in 1959, when Tate & Lyle acquired a controlling interest. Tate family member Saxon Tate and David Davis were sent from Britain to restructure the Canadian subsidiary. In 1973, the Canadian company adopted the name Redpath Industries Limited, restoring the historic Redpath identity in its corporate name. The company’s Toronto chapter began with construction of a waterfront refinery in the late 1950s, during the completion of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The Toronto refinery eventually became the central production site. The Montreal plant closed in 1980, after which production moved to Toronto. The Toronto refinery has continued to combine industrial sugar operations with a historical and educational function: the Redpath Sugar Museum has been part of the complex since 1979. In 2007, Tate & Lyle sold its sugar division to American Sugar Refining. Redpath consequently became a subsidiary of American Sugar Refining and adopted the legal name Redpath Sugar Ltd. It is now part of ASR Group, an international sugar-refining organization, while retaining its Canadian brand identity. The company is headquartered in Toronto and has an additional packaging plant in Belleville, Ontario. Its brand system includes a distinctive script-based logo derived from John Redpath’s handwriting, a visual identity associated with the company’s long continuity in the Canadian food-products market.
- 2007
Business joins American Sugar Refining
[1]After Tate & Lyle sold its sugar division, Redpath became a subsidiary of American Sugar Refining and was renamed Redpath Sugar Ltd.
- 1980
Montreal production closes
[1]The Montreal plant closed and production was shifted to the Toronto refinery.
- 1979
Redpath Sugar Museum established
[1]A museum was established at the Toronto refinery complex to interpret the company’s history and sugar production.
- 1973
Redpath Industries name adopted
[1]The company changed its name to Redpath Industries Limited.
- 1959
Tate & Lyle acquires control
[1]British sugar company Tate & Lyle obtained a controlling interest in the Canadian business.
- 1930
Merger with Dominion Sugar
[1]The company merged with Dominion Sugar Company Limited of Chatham, Ontario, becoming Canada and Dominion Sugar Company Limited.
- 1888
George Drummond assumes leadership
[1]George Drummond took over after Peter Redpath’s retirement and oversaw a major expansion of the Montreal facility.
- 1879
Refinery reopens under a new corporate structure
[1]Following Canadian tariff protection, the business resumed operations as Canada Sugar Refining Company Limited.
- 1876
Operations suspended
[1]The company halted operations for a three-year period because it could not match the costs of large American sugar producers.
- 1861
George Alexander Drummond becomes a partner
[1]George Alexander Drummond, Peter Redpath’s brother-in-law, joined the firm.
Products and positioning
A long-established Canadian sugar brand combining domestic refining and packaging with the heritage of a nineteenth-century Montreal-founded company.
Sugar · 1854
Refined cane sugar
Redpath’s core business is the refining of cane sugar. The company’s Canadian operations process sugar for distribution through the Redpath brand and for commercial customers. The historic Toronto refinery is the principal production site associated with this activity.
Consumer packaged food
Packaged sugar
Redpath also packages refined sugar for household and retail use. Packaging is associated with the company’s Toronto headquarters and its additional plant in Belleville, Ontario, although the available reference material does not specify a complete product-by-product range.
Brand decisions
2007
Transfer from Tate & Lyle to American Sugar RefiningM&ABackground
Tate & Lyle sold its sugar division as part of a broader change in ownership of its sugar businesses.
Action taken
Redpath became a subsidiary of American Sugar Refining and adopted the name Redpath Sugar Ltd.
Aftermath
The Canadian company became part of ASR Group while continuing to operate under the Redpath brand.
1980
Consolidation of production in TorontoStrategyBackground
The company maintained both Montreal and Toronto refinery operations during the twentieth century, with the Toronto waterfront site established in the late 1950s.
Action taken
Redpath closed the Montreal plant and transferred production to Toronto.
Aftermath
Toronto became the company’s principal refining location and remains the site most closely associated with Redpath’s industrial operations.
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