Page 30 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Nov/Dec 2011
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T
he manufacture of sugar from sugarcane is one of the
oldest industries in the world. It is also closely linked
with the colonization of the Americas. In the 15th century,
Portuguese traders discovered sugar used in crystal form
in West Africa and pursued not just its cultivation in the West Indies,
but the slave trade that powered the plantations. Sugar became and
remains the most common sweetener in the world.
By 1967, when this photograph was taken, Coca-Cola was still
sweetened with pure sugar, the Pop-Tart had assumed its now-
familiar position on the grocer’s shelf and Domino Sugar lit another
huge waterfront sign, at its New York refinery.
Ever wonder why sugar refineries are located far from the tropical
STORY BY KATHY BERGREN SMITH
cane growing areas? Simply put, it was difficult to transport finished
sugar when wooden sailing ships routinely leaked and ruined cargo.
Placing the refinery near the market for sugar meant that the raw
sugar could be processed and delivered directly to customers. Today,
ships can safely transport refined sugar, but the location of the refinery
near the market ensures year-round supply from various fields.
Baltimore’s refinery was opened in 1922, part of the American
Sugar Company, one of the original companies on the Dow Jones
Industrial Index. Sugar continues to arrive by ship and by barge
to the Inner Harbor refinery from foreign and domestic growers.
In 2001, Domino was purchased by the Fanjul brothers, Cuban-
American sugar barons with vast cane fields in Florida.
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The Port of Baltimore
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November/December 2011
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The above photograph is provided courtesy of the Baltimore Museum of Industry and is part of the museum’s
BGE collection. Visit the Baltimore Museum of Industry at 1415 Key Highway on the south side of the Inner
Harbor; check out their web site at
; or call 410-727-4808. The museum is open Tuesday through
Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
