If you stirred a spoonful of sugar into your coffee this morning, savored a chocolate- chip cookie after lunch, or prepared a processed side dish to accompany dinner, you can thank a 16-year-old boy for helping to make a crucial staple more abundant and affordable. Eugene Roberts was born on November 8, 1878 in the settlement of Lehi, Utah. Tucked into the north end of the Utah Valley, midway between Salt Lake City and Provo, the community was settled in 1850 as part of the Mormon migration. The surrounding countryside was particularly well-suited for a crop the Mormons brought over from Europe: the sugar beet, and the town’s leaders encouraged the newly formed Utah Sugar Company to locate its first plant in the community. Production at the Lehi Factory began in October 1891, and sugar beets quickly became the primary cash crop for local farmers. Our Founder: Eugene Roberts 1 Having been born in this rural environment, little did Eugene’s parents realize the great impact he would have on the world-wide sugar industry. He was the son of Joseph Moroni Roberts and Esther Taylor. Over the years, Eugene’s father was not only a farmer, but owned and ran a butcher shop, served as the Lehi City Marshal from 1888-1890, and worked as a Pony Express freight agent. Eugene’s grandfather, John Roberts, Sr. was a merchant and a Gunner in the Royal Horse Artillery in England. He married Adelaide Ford in 1847. left: A young Eugene Roberts. above: Eugene Roberts' parents, Joseph Moroni and Esther Taylor Roberts.