Sugar cane producers make their tasty product from sugar cane plants--a grass native to tropical regions of the world. Not surprisingly, given Americans' love of sweets, the United States is the second largest sugar importer in the world, and much of what we import is from sugar cane growers. Many people consider the sweetener made from sugar cane the finest sugar available anywhere.
The uses of sugar cane vary from the production of sugars like granulated, baking and brown sugar, to the extraction of juices and the production of rum. Simply buying sugar cane for your food business allows you to use it for such purposes as a novelty drink mixer, an ingredient in cooking or a creative and flavorful skewer for foods. But to make full use of sugar cane, you also need specialized equipment:
1. Buy quality sugar cane wholesale from a reliable distributor.
2. Get reliable sugar refinery equipment to produce usable sugar.
3. Find equipment to extract sugar cane juice.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Stock up on fresh wholesale sugar cane
Sugar cane is commonly grown in tropical regions due to its sensitivity to cold. In the United States, sugar cane growers plant their crops in late summer or early fall and harvest the crops one year later. One ton of sugar cane can yield between 170 and 225 lb. of raw sugar.
I recommend: Buy California grown, fresh and canned sugar cane at wholesale prices from
Fresh Sugar Cane. Purchase fresh sugar cane stalks from
Zama Enterprises. A 40 lb. bag contains approximately 70 stalks.
Make use of sugar cane refinery equipment
Most people associate sugar cane with the familiar granulated and powdered form of sugar. Yielding this product from the sugar cane plant requires specialized milling and refining equipment.
I recommend: Shrijee Group is a sugar machinery supplier that can provide services ranging from designing and creating to setting up a complete sugar factory to meet your needs.
Sugar Technology International is capable of sourcing quality sugar equipment for you at competitive prices and will ship equipment and parts globally. Buy used sugar mill equipment at
Aaron Equipment.
Buy a sugar cane juice extractor
To make good use of sugar cane at a lower cost than refining the sugar, simply juice the sugar cane plant. Sugar cane juice is rich in both carbohydrates and iron. Combine it with ice and lemon to create a refreshing, tasty drink.
I recommend: Buy a counter top sugar cane juice extractor at
Abamaster. Get a heavy duty cane juicer from
Bowery Kitchen Supplies.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- When storing sugar cane plant stalks, bind the ends with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator. You can keep them that way for up to two weeks. The flesh should be off-white, opaque and moist; if the fresh is dry and brown or red, the stalks are old.
The official source of Sugar Cane is the Sugar Cane page at Business.com