100 stories from the hiking route

1919 – Starch and syrup factory built in Kadrina

Information

Topic

Village life and society work

Coordinates

Long-Lat WGS 84

Latitude: 59.3398316

Longitude: 26.1258352

L-EST 97

x: 6579888.1
y: 620956.8

Location

Kauksi-Aegviidu Hiking route

Kadrina Starch and Syrup Factory was the first syrup factory in Estonia. The slate buildings were built in the summer of 1919, starch production started in the autumn of the same year. The industry was named the Partnership of Estonian Harvest Recycling ‘Viru’. The furnishings for the syrup factory were obtained in 1921.
The potatoes were at first bought on site, later the stock was delivered by train and car transportation. The syrup yield was mainly sold in the homeland to candy factories in Tallinn. In addition to the home market, the starch was also sold to the Finland and to some extent, to Western Europe.
In 1930’s, a sedimentary basin was built for the brown water near the starch factory and in 1939 a canal was dug behind the church that led the brown water further down, flowing eventually into River Loobu.
With the establishment of Soviet power in Estonia, the property of LLC Viru was nationalised in 1940 and a national enterprise Viru Enterprises was established with factories in Rakvere, Jõhvi and Kadrina. As of 1960, only syrup was produced in Kadrina. The main buyer was Kalev, Tallinn’s confectionery factory. In 1976, 6300 tonnes of syrup was produced.
In the 1990s, Kalev started using cheaper Lithuanian corn syrup. In 1994, the factory was privatised and AS Viru syrup was formed, but the company went bankrupt in 1999. During its 75-year span, many generations of people from Kadrina and around found work in the factory.

Sources:
Lausmaa, T. 2005. Kadrina tärklise- ja siirupivabriku ajaloost. MTÜ Neeruti Selts toimetised A-512.