Tate & Lyle . . . creators of the iconic Golden Syrup	FOOD & COOKING

Tate & Lyle is a British food and beverage company that has a long history dating back to the early Nineteenth century. The company is well-known for its sugar and sweetener products, including its famous Golden Syrup.

The history of Tate & Lyle syrup begins with the founding of Henry Tate & Sons in Liverpool in 1859. Henry Tate was a successful sugar refiner who had made his fortune in the sugar trade. He established his business in Liverpool because it was a major port city that was well-connected to the sugar-producing regions of the world.

Tate's business was built around the refining of sugar, which involved removing impurities from raw sugar cane and turning it into the white, granulated sugar that is familiar to most people today. Tate's sugar was known for its high quality and purity, and it quickly gained a reputation as one of the best sugars available.

In 1872, Tate decided to expand his business by building a new sugar refinery on the Thames in London. The refinery, which became known as the Thames Refinery, was state-of-the-art for its time and featured the latest in sugar-refining technology.

One of the by products of the sugar-refining process was molasses, a thick, dark syrup that is rich in minerals and nutrients. Tate was determined to find a use for the molasses, which were usually discarded as waste. After much experimentation, he came up with a way to turn the molasses into a sweet, golden syrup that was perfect for baking and cooking.

Tate's Golden Syrup was an instant success and quickly became a staple in British households. The syrup was used in a wide range of recipes, from cakes and biscuits to marinades and sauces. The distinctive packaging of the syrup, which featured a golden tin with a picture of a lion on the label, became an iconic symbol of Britishness.

The Tate & Lyle Golden Syrup logo, which features a lion surrounded by buzzing bees, has become an iconic symbol of the brand. Samson kills a young lion with his bare hands after it roared and made its way toward him. A few days later, he returns and notices a swarm of bees had built a hive inside the carcass. The lion on the packaging is intended to represent strength and the bees represent the sweetness of honey, which is a product of their industriousness.

The story goes that Abram Lyle, the founder of the company, was a deeply religious man who was looking for a way to represent the quality and purity of his product. He came across the story of Samson and the lion in the Bible and was struck by the imagery of the strong lion and the busy bees.

Lyle decided to use the Lion and the Bees story for his packaging, with the lion representing strength and the bees representing the industriousness and sweetness of honey. The image of the lion was originally hand-drawn by a young artist named Norman Shaw in the 1880s, and it has been used on the packaging of Tate & Lyle Golden Syrup ever since.

Over the years, the design of the logo has been updated and modified, but the basic elements of the lion and the bees have remained the same.

In the years that followed, Tate's business continued to grow and thrive. He expanded his sugar-refining operations, and by the turn of the century, his company was one of the largest sugar refiners in the world.

In 1921, Henry Tate & Sons merged with Abram Lyle & Sons, another sugar refining company, to form Tate & Lyle. The merger brought together two of the biggest names in the British sugar industry and created a company that would go on to become a major player in the global sugar market.

The merger of Tate & Lyle was a smart move, as it allowed the company to diversify its product offerings and expand its reach beyond just sugar. In the years that followed, Tate & Lyle developed a range of new products, including syrups, sweeteners, and starches.

One of the key products that Tate & Lyle developed in the years following the merger was Treacle, a dark, viscous syrup that is similar to molasses. Treacle was originally marketed as a more affordable alternative to Golden Syrup, and it quickly gained a following among budget-conscious consumers.

In the 1930s, Tate & Lyle expanded its product line even further by introducing a range of corn syrups. Corn syrup is a sweet, viscous syrup that is made by breaking down corn starch into glucose. It is widely used in the food industry as a sweetener and is particularly popular in the United States.

Tate & Lyle's corn syrups were an instant success and quickly became a staple in the food industry. The company continued to develop new products in the years that followed, including high-fructose corn syrup, which is a sweeter and more concentrated form of corn syrup.

In the 1950s, Tate & Lyle expanded its operations beyond the United Kingdom and began exporting its products to other countries around the world.

In July 2010 Tate & Lyle sold its sugar refining business, including rights to use the Tate & Lyle brand name and Lyle's Golden Syrup, to American Sugar Refining.

David Jenkins
Hub-UK

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