Our history

The first traces of the presence of a sugar dwelling on the present-day site of GARDEL date back to at least 1768 . It was not until 1870 that a factory appeared and carried out its first sugar campaign under the name of “Lagardelle”. The name GARDEL was to appear definitively at the end of the century. GARDEL is a story of passionate people who believe in the industry, in sugar and in Guadeloupe. This visionary spirit and determination continue to guide our activities today.

For 150 years, GARDEL has been perpetuating the sugar tradition, thanks to the men and women who pass on their know-how to each other, and thanks to the growers who, all over the Guadeloupean landscape, cultivate sugarcane from generation to generation. In the 19th century, there were 22 sugar factories on mainland Guadeloupe, but only one has managed to weather the storms and crises, sometimes rising from the ashes: the GARDEL sugar factory.

SAINT-ALARY: from a modest sugar dwelling to today's central factory

GARDEL’s history is closely linked to that of Guadeloupe and the development of its sugar industry. Its origins date back to Saint-Salary, a sugar plantation in Le Moule, where the first artisanal sugar mills were used to extract cane juice and produce granulated sugar. At the end of the 19th century, the sugar industry evolved towards more mechanized structures, capable of handling larger volumes. It was against this backdrop that the GARDEL factory was founded in 1869.

In its first campaign, GARDEL produced 550 tons of sugar, a modest volume for the time. But thanks to constant improvements, thirteen years later it managed to increase production to 1,300 tonnes, making it the twelfth largest of the island’s 22 sugar factories.

AUBERY: a period of growth

In the 1920s, a new phase of industrialization began under the impetus of Eugène GRAEVE, who also owned Courcelles and Gentilly. He decided to consolidate the sugar business into a single site, transforming GARDEL into Société Anonyme Sucrerie GARDEL, marking a major turning point for the plant.

A few years later, in 1928,

Armand AUBÉRY takes over the helm and sets about overcoming the many economic and climatic challenges. Aware of the difficulties posed by the fragmentation of agricultural land, he set up a model for grouping plots together to guarantee a regular supply of sugarcane. He also modernized the plant’s infrastructure, gradually integrating electric turbines and more efficient mills, thus improving grinding capacity.

These changes in management have only strengthened GARDEL over time,
thanks to the willingness of its managers to take on challenges with boldness and determination.

In just a few decades,
has seen an extraordinary expansion of the sugarcane industry in Guadeloupe!

1.8 million tonnes
of cane

Sugar production in Guadeloupe is booming.
Sugar mills process up to 1.8 million tons of cane each year to produce 185,000 tons of sugar! In the past, cane was transported and delivered by rail and by cart.

32,000
hectares

Demand is there, and the mills have modernized.
Cane cultivation covers 32,000 hectares. GARDEL can crush up to 1,800 tonnes of cane a day. It was a prosperous time for the entire local sugar industry.

HUYGHES DESPOINTES: consolidation then collapse of the sector

From the 1970s onwards, the Guadeloupe sugar industry entered a period of fragility. The opening up of world markets, the reduction in cultivated areas and economic changes led to the gradual closure of sugar factories.
In 1967, there were still 10 sugar factories on the island, but by 1981 only three remained on the mainland: GARDEL, Beauport and Grosse Montagne.

1989

Cyclone Hugo

On September 17, 1989, Hurricane Hugo dealt a devastating blow to the sugar industry. With winds in excess of 260 km/h, it destroyed much of the island’s infrastructure and coated 60% of the island’s cane. GARDEL suffered heavy damage, but it was Beauport that never recovered and closed for good in July 1990.

The modern era:
the consolidation of GARDEL

Now only Gardel and Grosse Montagne remain, but cane production is insufficient to maintain two industrial sites.

In 1991, cane production dropped to 630,000 tonnes, the minimum needed to run two mills.

In 1994, production fell further to 458,000 tonnes,
jeopardizing the sector’s profitability.

Faced with this situation, a strategic choice had to be made: to ensure the future of the industry, one factory had to close, and that would be Grosse Montagne. Thus, in 1995, Gardel became the last and only sugar factory on mainland Guadeloupe.

A new impetus

Today, GARDEL continues to be a pillar of the Guadeloupe sugarcane industry. The factory directly and indirectly provides a livelihood for over 8,000 people.
As part of a modernization process, the company continues to invest to ensure the long-term future of the industry and meet the challenges of tomorrow.