Our Australian ownership is a proud partnership between the grower-owned NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative and the Australian family-owned business, Manildra Group.
The NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative is comprised of some 500 cane farming families in the Northern Rivers region of the state. The Manildra Group is an international agribusiness owned and operated by the Honan family in NSW.
Sunshine Sugar owns and operates sugar mills at Harwood, Broadwater and Condong and a refinery co-located at Harwood.
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Watch the NSW Sugar Industry Video
This 10-minute documentary-style video gives you a comprehensive overview of the history, structure, and importance of the NSW sugar industry.
Take our 360⁰ Paddock to Pack Tour
If you have your own VR headset, connect to our 6-minute immersive experience and follow the process of sugar production from the growing of sugar cane through to milling, refining, packing and transportation.
History
Sugar production has been a major industry in the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed Valleys for over 150 years, with the Harwood Mill being the longest continuously running sugar mill in Australia.
Follow some highlights in our timeline below.
Timeline
Harwood Sugar Mill on the Clarence River commenced operation
Condong Sugar Mill on the Tweed River commenced operation
Broadwater Sugar Mill on the Richmond River commenced operation
First bulk shipment of raw sugar in Australia leaves Broadwater and Harwood Mills. Mechanical loading of sugar onto ships at Harwood – the first in the Southern hemisphere
NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative was formed as first multi-sugar mill co-operative in Australia
NSW Sugar formed partnership with Manildra to commence refining white sugar under the company Manildra Harwood Sugars
NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative and Delta Electricity formed a joint venture company Sunshine Electricity and opened cogeneration plants at Condong and Broadwater mills
Sunshine Sugar awarded international Bonsucro certification across farming, milling and refining operations
Sunshine Sugar launches a new retail product brand
Sunshine Sugar launches Low GI sugar using Australian nucane technology
Fleet of new Mercedes trucks with state-of-the-art safety features purchased for cane hauling
State-of-the-art storage and distribution warehouse officially opened
Botanical water from sugarcane produced at Condong
Mills and Refinery
Condong Sugar Mill
The Condong Sugar Mill sits on the banks of the Tweed River and has been crushing cane since 1880. This mill processes cane grown on some 7,000 hectares of local farmland.
The Condong sugar mill produces Direct Consumption (DC) raw sugar and a unique Low GI sugar that is made in the milling system.
Broadwater Sugar Mill
The Broadwater Sugar Mill sits on the banks of the Richmond River and has been crushing cane since 1881. This mill processes that largest amount of cane grown across a 15,000-hectare local farming footprint.
All of our Mills operate under continuous crushing arrangements (24 hours a day, seven days a week) during the crushing season with a scheduled maintenance day held every 2-3 weeks.
Harwood Sugar Mill
The Harwood Sugar Mill sits on the banks of the Clarence River and is the oldest continuously operating Sugar Mill in Australia and has been crushing cane since 1874. This mill process sugarcane grown on some 10,000 hectares of local cane farming land.
Manildra Harwood Sugar Refinery
The Manildra Harwood Sugar Refinery commenced operations in 1988 when the grower-owned NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative Limited and family-owned Australian agribusiness Manildra Group joined forces to form a partnership to produce.
Warehouse
The Harwood site is also home to a state-of-the-art freight and logistics warehouse. Spanning some 4,000 square metres, this $9m facility was officially opened in 2020.
Due to health, hygiene and safety reasons, we are currently unable to offer tours of these facilities.
Mills and Refinery
Condong Sugar Mill
The Condong Sugar Mill sits on the banks of the Tweed River and has been crushing cane since 1880. This mill processes cane grown on some 7,000 hectares of local farmland.
The Condong sugar mill produces Direct Consumption (DC) raw sugar and a unique Low GI sugar that is made in the milling system.
Broadwater Sugar Mill
The Broadwater Sugar Mill sits on the banks of the Richmond River and has been crushing cane since 1881. This mill processes that largest amount of cane grown across a 15,000-hectare local farming footprint.
All of our Mills operate under continuous crushing arrangements (24 hours a day, seven days a week) during the crushing season with a scheduled maintenance day held every 2-3 weeks.
Harwood Sugar Mill
The Harwood Sugar Mill sits on the banks of the Clarence River and is the oldest continuously operating Sugar Mill in Australia and has been crushing cane since 1874. This mill process sugarcane grown on some 10,000 hectares of local cane farming land.
Manildra Harwood Sugar Refinery
The Manildra Harwood Sugar Refinery commenced operations in 1988 when the grower-owned NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative Limited and family-owned Australian agribusiness Manildra Group joined forces to form a partnership to produce.
Warehouse
The Harwood site is also home to a state-of-the-art freight and logistics warehouse. Spanning some 4,000 square metres, this $9m facility was officially opened in 2020.
Due to health, hygiene and safety reasons, we are currently unable to offer tours of these facilities.
Growers
Our cane growers here in the Northern Rivers are fortunate to have access to the best in soil and water resources for cropping. They also enjoy close proximity to the coast, beautiful natural surroundings and a temperate climate. The six-month on and six-month off season provides an unmatched business and lifestyle balance.
The NSW sugar industry is supported by more than 500 farming families. The farming footprint covers some 34,000 hectares, with up to 2.4 million tonnes of cane harvested each year.
Transport
Cane hauling in NSW is operated under a contract that finances a fleet of 32 Mercedes Benz trucks and around 100 truck drivers each season. An additional 3 trucks are operated for warehouse transfers and local deliveries.
In addition, we work with over 30 transport companies across the country to deliver our products to over 300 customers across all types of food and beverage manufacturing, as well as retailers and wholesalers.