From the Editor
Luis Ayala
I’ve written many times about the challenges faced by sugar mills around the world, and the incredible pace at which they are being forced to close.
This time the impact is much closer to our Distilled Spirits Plant in Texas: the last remaining sugarcane operation in the state is closing after 51 years of operation.
Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Inc. (RGSVG) recently completed their last harvest and milling season, announcing that due to numerous water shortages in the area and to the lack of support from the U.S. State Department, they are being forced to close their doors after many decades of operation.
Over the past half-century, RGVSG Inc. employed over 500 full-time and seasonal workers at the mill annually. Additionally, the mill employed over 100 local growers, who serviced up to 40,000 acres of planted sugarcane.
RGVSG has ranked as one of the top 10 producers of raw sugar in the United States. It is a member-owned cooperative, comprised of over 126 growers in a three-county area. They processed more than 1.5 million tons of sugarcane annually, producing nearly 160,000 tons of raw sugar and 60,000 tons of molasses.
As you can see, sugar mills play an important role as employers and as suppliers of a commodity that is at the core of many other industries. The world cannot afford to keep losing mills at the current rate, but solutions are not easy to come by.
While it is true that well-funded craft distilleries can plant, harvest and mill their own sugarcane, their goal is usually to extract and utilize the fresh cane juice, instead of refining it into crystalized sugar and molasses, which are an essential ingredient for many other businesses.
We thank the hard workers at RGVSG and at every mill around the world, for doing their best to keep their mills in business.
Cheers!
Luis Ayala,
Editor and Publisher
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