In 1806, Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree creating the Continental Blockade and providing a golden opportunity to expand beet sugar production.
The British victory at Trafalgar in 1805 had given Britain control of the seas and dominance of world trade. The British also prevented French goods leaving or entering port. This meant a severe shortage of sugar from the Caribbean.
Napoleon’s response was to ban all British goods from the Continent. The aim was to ruin Britain and make France the most economically powerful nation in Europe. The blockade was a failure for France but not for sugar beet, which emerged as a replacement for sugar cane.