A sweet Island

When you go to school in Reunion Island there is one school outing that everybody does. The school outing to Stella Matuntia. This place used to be the biggest sugar factory on the island and is now a museum. There we learn about the production of the sugar cane and slavery a part of Reunion inhabitants heritage. 

Stella Matutina

Sugar cane has been cultivated in Reunion Island since the beginning of the 19^th century. After the coffee growing, the sugar cane growing has made the wealth of the Island. There use to be 13 sugar factories but after several crises only 2 of them remain which can crush one million ton sugar cane each.  Today the production of sugar is supported by the European Union. Sugar cane fields are usually located in the east part of the island, a region which is more humid. 

cane cuters working in a field

    

one of the two sugar factories remaining

The production of the sugar cane does not only mean sugar production but also production of rum    and even renewable energy.

First of all let’s see how sugar is produced. The first step is the crop and the transportation which starts in July in Reunion. The crop is usually handmade and the 2 tons of sugar cane produced every year is then delivered to the sugar factories. Then the sugar cane is grinded to extract a jus which is purified and filtrated. This jus goes to the next step when the rest of the grinded sugar cane is used to produce renewable energy. This energy makes the sugar factories work. Then there the evaporation step after which the jus will become concentrated syrup. Finally this syrup is crystallized to obtain sugar crystals and then dried. It is at the step of the crystallization that a part of the syrup is used to produce rum but this is an other story.