On May 24 and 25, our Redpath Sugar Toronto Refinery welcomed more than 13,000 guests as part of Doors Open Toronto, an annual city-wide event celebrating more than 150 architecturally, historically and culturally significant sites. Visitors were invited to learn about our operations and Redpath® Sugar through self-guided tours, enjoying a range of interactive attractions and experiences along the way.
“Participating in Doors Open Toronto is always a fantastic opportunity to connect with our community and share our pride in our 66-year legacy of making sugar right here in downtown Toronto,” said B2B Marketing Manager Ashley Black. “We’re grateful to everyone who made the event such a success, and to everyone who brought their friends and families to experience a behind-the-scenes look at what we do.”
Guests enjoyed a variety of themed tents and activities throughout the weekend:
• Chef Demo Tent: Families gathered to decorate cookies using ready-made kits that included piping bags and sugar cookies. Redpath® Sugar chefs led the sessions, teaching decorating techniques and inspiring creativity.
• Ask the Experts Tent: Representatives from departments including Quality, Sales, Engineering, Customer Service, Packaging and more shared insights into the refining process. Attendees examined different types of sugar crystals, sampled brown sugar varieties, and experienced a virtual refinery tour using VR glasses—including views from the bridge of a sugar ship.
• Kids Play Tent: A family favorite, this area featured oversized Legos, corn hole games, and fun activities to keep little ones entertained.
• Raw Sugar Shed: Visitors posed for photos in front of the iconic “Sugar Mountain” and watched a live demonstration of a pay loader in action, lifting and moving raw sugar.
• Redpath Bake Shop Tent: Guests received cotton candy made with Redpath® Turbinado sugar and captured memories in a 360-degree photo booth filled with props.
“The success of the event was made possible by months of planning and collaboration, with contributions from every department across the refinery,” said Brand Development Manager Judy Yu. “It was a true team effort that brought the event to life.”