One Century, Two Families, Three Countries

THE SUGAR INDUSTRY
FROM HERE AND THERE

1900’s Manuel Rionda establishes the Cuba Trading and the Carnikow Rionda Companies. Nephew Higinio Fanjul heads the Cuba operations.

The Fanjul family operations include the La Romana Sugar Mill in La Romana, Dominican Republic; Domino Sugar, with refineries in New York, Baltimore and Loui-siana, and several Florida-based companies that comprise Florida Crystals, one of the nation's largest sugar companies.In Florida, operations include Okeelanta Corporation, Osceola Farms Co., Atlantic Sugar Assoc-iation, New Hope Sugar Co., Closter Farms, Inc., as well as sugar mills, refineries, packaging and distribution facilities for the Florida Crystals brand.

Florida Crystals products, known for their quality, are the culmination of efforts spanning a century, three countries, and two families. The Fanjul Gomez Mena family controlled a large part of the sugar industry in Cuba until Castro's arrival in 1959. Today, as major stockholders of Flo-Sun Inc., descendants Alfonso 'Alfy', Jose 'Pepe', Lian, Alexander and Andres carry on the traditions inherited from their parents, Alfonso Fanjul and Lillian Gomez Mena de Fanjul.

1850’s Andres Gomez-Mena founds the family sugar business A mediados del siglo XIX Andrés Gómez-Mena funda su primer ingenio.

From their office in West Palm Beach, Alfy and Pepe tell the story of their experiences in the sugar industry. "Florida Crystals has developed during five generations. It began in Cuba, over one hundred years ago and has impacted three different countries. In the 19th Century, Spanish-born Andres Gomez Mena arrived in Cuba at a time when the sugar industry was booming. In 1917, when he passed away, Gomez Mena owned four sugar mills and was recognized as one of Cuba's most prominent entrepreneurs.

En 1936, la boda entre Alfonso Fanjul, Sr. y Lillian Gómez Mena une las familias Rionda y Gómez Mena.

His son Jose 'Pepe' Gomez Mena was heir to his father's legacy. He reorganized the family estate under the name "New Gomez Mena Sugar Company." Pepe gained international standing in the sugar industry. He became Secretary of Agriculture of the Republic of Cuba in 1936. He was also president of the National Association of Landowners and the Cuban Institute for the Stabilization of Sugar.

Pepe's daughter, Lillian Gomez Mena was heir to her father's empire. In 1936, she married Alfonso Fanjul Estrada, who with his father Higinio Fanjul Rionda, owned Cuban Trading Co. and Czarnikow-Rionda Co. Pepe and Lillian's marriage consolidated two empires, encompassing ten sugar mills and three distilleries." The Fanjul family, like most Cuban exiles, became United States residents. Unifying their efforts and working hard to build a new company in exile, Alfonso Fanjul and his son Alfy started all over again in 1960 with a modest operation.

En 1900 Manuel Rionda establece Cuba Trading y Czarnikow Rionda, de las cuales el sobrino, Higinio Fanjul, es el jefe de operaciones en la isla.

Initially, they purchased 4,000 acres near Lake Okeechobee and equipment from three small Louisiana sugar mills, which they shipped to Florida on barges and reassembled. Today, that operation is again a leader in the sugar industry.