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RUM &
REVOLUTION
The History of Grenada’s Largest Rum Factory
L
eroy Neckles grew up on his
father’s Beausejour Estate. At
that time, in the 1950’s, it was the
largest supplier of sugar cane to ‘The
Grenada Sugar Factory’ on the island.
“My father and two uncles had shares
and were part owners in the Grenada
Sugar Factory as well as a number of
smaller shareholders like P.G. Hosten,
T.E. Noble Smith, Cromwell, and a few
smaller plantation owners”. Neckles
observes
“My father would send me on the truck to
this factory to collect cane juice to bring
home for him, but I never imagined that
one day I would be the boss here”.
In those days The Grenada Sugar
Factory, as its name suggests, made
sugar, and the by-product of this process
was a product called molasses. To make
molasses, sugar cane is harvested and
stripped of leaves. Often the fields of
cane are set on fire to burn off the leaves
and drive out the snakes that seem to
enjoy this habitat. Its juice is extracted
usually by cutting, crushing or mashing.
The juice is boiled to concentrate it,
promoting sugar crystallization. The
result of this first boiling is usually
referred to in the USA as ‘cane syrup’, as
opposed to molasses. ‘Second molasses’
is created from a second boiling and
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sugar extraction, and has a slight bitter
taste. The third boiling of the sugar
syrup yields a dark, viscous blackstrap
molasses, known for its robust flavor.
The majority of sucrose from the
original juice has been crystalized and
removed, What remained was Rum’s
first ingredient - Molasses.
The quantum of sugar produced on
the island however, was not enough to
support the entire island, so there was
still an amount of importation of sugar.
The Grenada Sugar Factory was the only
operation making sugar on the island.
Other factories like River Antoine, made
rum directly from sugar cane and a
product called ‘Wet Sugar’.
As the name implies, wet sugar is
formed during the process of making
sugar. It is, however, far healthier and
as many of its aficionados would agree,
a far tastier alternative.
Wet sugar contains a number of
vitamins and minerals, and has a
high fibre content, which health food
advocates appreciate.
Wet sugar, was set to become the star
ingredient in what locals refer to as
‘Babash. or homemade contraband rum.
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