California and Hawaiian Sugar Company
Encyclopedia
California and Hawaiian Sugar Company (C&H) was founded in 1906 and operated from 1921 to 1993 as an agricultural cooperative marketing association owned by the member sugar
companies in Hawaii
. Its headquarters are in Crockett
in unincorporated
Contra Costa County, California
.
In 1993, the member companies sold their interests in C&H to Alexander & Baldwin
in Honolulu, and the refining company's status changed from a cooperative to a corporation. Alexander & Baldwin subsequently sold its majority share to an investment group in 1998, retaining a 40% common stock interest in the recapitalized company. In 2005, the common stock shares were acquired by American Sugar Refining
(ASR, better known as Domino Sugar), a company owned by Florida Crystals and the Sugar Cane Growers Co-op. Florida Crystals is a privately held company that is part of FLO-SUN, a sugar empire of the Fanjul family
whose origins trace to Spanish-Cuban sugar plantations of the early 19th century.
The C&H brand is one of the leading sugar brands in the company's markets (where it is not the de facto leader), largely due to advertisements stressing their exclusive use of cane sugar, believed by some to be superior to sugar from the sugar beet
.
C&H's primary market is west of the Mississippi River
in the United States, although some sugar is sold in various east coast stores. A number of high-profile restaurants, bakeries and hotels have C&H sugar shipped to them where it is not available through local distribution channels. More than 70 types, grades, and package sizes are sold within the two major groupings of grocery and industrial products. About 700000 short ton of sugar per year are processed. The refinery at Crockett, California
, refines, packages, and markets all of the output from Hawaii's sugar factories, such as the remaining factory of Alexander & Baldwin, the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company on Maui
.
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
companies in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Its headquarters are in Crockett
Crockett, California
Crockett is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 3,094 at the 2010 census...
in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
.
In 1993, the member companies sold their interests in C&H to Alexander & Baldwin
Alexander & Baldwin
Following World War II, the company entered a new business: land development and real estate. The company formed a new subsidiary, the Kahului Development Co., to develop housing in the Kahului area. In the following years, the company became more involved in the development of its land and the...
in Honolulu, and the refining company's status changed from a cooperative to a corporation. Alexander & Baldwin subsequently sold its majority share to an investment group in 1998, retaining a 40% common stock interest in the recapitalized company. In 2005, the common stock shares were acquired by American Sugar Refining
American Sugar Refining
American Sugar Refining, Inc., headquartered in Yonkers, New York, is the world’s largest cane sugar refining company, with a production capacity of more than seven million tons of sugar...
(ASR, better known as Domino Sugar), a company owned by Florida Crystals and the Sugar Cane Growers Co-op. Florida Crystals is a privately held company that is part of FLO-SUN, a sugar empire of the Fanjul family
The Fanjul Brothers
The Fanjul brothers — Alfonso "Alfy" Fanjul, José "Pepe" Fanjul, Alexander Fanjul, and Andres Fanjul — are owners of Fanjul Corp., a vast sugar and real estate conglomerate in the United States and Dominican Republic, comprising the subsidiaries Domino Sugar, , C&H Sugar, Redpath Sugar, Tate & Lyle...
whose origins trace to Spanish-Cuban sugar plantations of the early 19th century.
The C&H brand is one of the leading sugar brands in the company's markets (where it is not the de facto leader), largely due to advertisements stressing their exclusive use of cane sugar, believed by some to be superior to sugar from the sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
.
C&H's primary market is west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in the United States, although some sugar is sold in various east coast stores. A number of high-profile restaurants, bakeries and hotels have C&H sugar shipped to them where it is not available through local distribution channels. More than 70 types, grades, and package sizes are sold within the two major groupings of grocery and industrial products. About 700000 short ton of sugar per year are processed. The refinery at Crockett, California
Crockett, California
Crockett is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 3,094 at the 2010 census...
, refines, packages, and markets all of the output from Hawaii's sugar factories, such as the remaining factory of Alexander & Baldwin, the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company on Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
.