Neil Juhnke_ From Seed to Shelf Sugarbeets by Grower-Owners at the Michigan Sugar Company

1. Neil Juhnke: From Seed to Shelf Sugarbeets by Grower-Owners at the Michigan Sugar Company The sweet, delicious, sugary saccharine - Sugar, is a carbohydrate that can be found naturally in many food products such as fruits and vegetables. The sugar is extracted from naturally grown foods and undergoes a manufacturing process to produce the sugar that we have in our kitchens and pantries. This sweetener is also used as a preservative, fermentor, flavoring agent, modifier, etcetera. White sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and liquid sugar are some of the kinds of manufactured sugar products sold at our local shops that we purchase. Sugar is an ingredient that is added to almost everyone’s daily meals and snacks in varying quantities and kinds. This saccharine and carbohydrate is an energy source for our body which delays tiredness and increases low glycogen levels thereby giving us that extra boost on consumption. Many factories in the Food and Beverage Industry manufacture, produce, and retail sugar. Did you know that the world’s main naturally grown food products used by manufacturers to produce sugar are Sugarcane and Sugarbeets? Yes, factories choose either of the two products and process them for sugar extraction. There are yet other factories that process sugar from naturally grown fruits and vegetables but the canes and beets are the main chosen foods. Therefore in this article, we will talk about a company that was started in the early 1900s and now is the third-largest sugarbeet-manufacturing company in the USA. Michigan Sugar Company is currently led by CEO Neil Juhnke. The factory/plant is established in the Uptown Bay City area, in Michigan since its harvest initiative in Sugarbeets from the year 1906. The manufactured and processed sugarbeet is sold to the commercial, retail, and industrial sectors. Striving with the purpose of “making life sweeter”, the Michigan Sugar Company and its CEO - Neil Juhnke are on a mission to “create growth and opportunity”. The President and Cheif Executive Officer Embracing Life at the Michigan Sugar Company: The President and Chief Executive Officer at the Michigan Sugar Company is Neil Juhnke. Neil was appointed and came into office taking on this huge role in May of 2023. Neil has since been embracing his new life at the company after having been closely involved in agricultural sugar processing his whole life. Before the Michigan Sugar Company, Neil

2. worked at the American Crystal Sugar Company located in Moorhead, Minnesota from the year 1990. As an effective leader, the CEO immediately stepped down to the fields and spoke with the farmers and growers. After having a good layover of the business model, operations, factory, and the fields alongside several meetings over the first few weeks, Neil envisions a bright future for the Michigan Sugar Company and is working towards the goal to “strengthen and stabilize the company‟s foundation, creating a platform for sustainable growth into the next century”. Under Neil’s leadership, knowledge, and expertise in the sugar industry and field, the Michigan Sugar Company currently sees an annual production of 1.2 billion pounds of sugar being manufactured and sold under the Pioneer Sugar Brand and the Big Chief Sugar Brand from the Uptown Bay City factory in Michigan alone. About the Michigan Sugar Company - One of the Oldest Sugar Companies in the USA: The Michigan Sugar Company was founded in the year 1906 when 6 sugarbeet companies merged. The company became a grower-owned business in 2002 and after merging yet again with the Monitor Sugar Company in 2004 - became the USA’s 3rd largest sugarbeet- producing factory located in Michigan. The state is also one of the only 11 other states in the country where sugarbeet is grown, manufactured, processed, and brought farm-to-table. The company now has over 865 grower-owned plants and harvests around 140,000 acres of sugarbeets annually. An annual production of over 1.2 billion pounds of sugar is produced by around 20 different counties in the state and is then sold to commercial, retail, and industrial sectors where the company’s profits are 100% owned by the local farmers. The sugarbeet factory in Uptown Bay City, Michigan alongside its current President and CEO is on a mission to “create growth and opportunity” by empowering and engaging employees and grower-owners, establishing safe work environments and sustainability in work practices, by adopting efficient and innovative grower-owners and facilities, and by building on trust. Together they aim to increase production and yield, happy and satisfied customers, stronger communities, and the company’s bright future in sugarbeet- manufacturing. Encouraging the company to immerse itself into the community, a “Locally Grown, Locally Owned” initiative was adopted where “operating regionally and giving back locally” through student recruitment and training sessions. The company also donates over 100,000+ pounds of sugar annually and awards 12 scholarships. With the „giving back‟ mindset strongly instilled, 2 community Bay City gardens have been constructed and 100+ events have been sponsored to unite and build a much stronger community. With the Michigan Sugar Company’s core values instilled in driving excellence, pride in their roots, integrity, compassion, and trust - the company sees a bright future in agricultural cooperatives and community.