The Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt has today announced that Sunshine Sugar is among seven agricultural processing businesses in the Northern Rivers to receive funding under the Australian and NSW Governments’ Supply Chain Support Program.
For Sunshine Sugar, this grant will help kick start a new era of both flood resilience and re-establishing a link to the regions storied past with the development of a world-class Rum Distillery based at the Broadwater Sugar Mill site.
Sunshine Sugar and Sydney Rum Distillery have a Heads of Agreement for a long-term relationship that will see a ‘craft with scale’ distillery established to showcase the finest Northern Rivers sugarcane to the world through a portfolio of premium to ultra-premium rum brands.
The distillery will re-establish an important historic link with the regions past, when rum was distilled at the Harwood Sugar Mill in the late 1800’s and into the early 1900’s.
Sydney Rum Distillery Chief Executive, Steve Magarry said; “This new distillery will incorporate some of the latest developments in sustainability and environmental credentials, from raw material sourcing to design and energy usage.”
While the brands will be available in the local market, the focus will be to showcase quality Australian provenance to consumers all over the world. It also offers our sugar industry the opportunity to diversify into high value products and significant export markets.
Chris Connors Chief Executive of Sunshine Sugar added; “Not only does this initiative have a great link to our heritage, it fits squarely into our strategic focus on long-term sustainability of our growers and our industry through business diversification and innovation. It also an important plank in the long-term sustainability of the Broadwater Mill with diversification projects supplementing the cane crushing operations.
