It was Columbus who brought sugar cane during his second voyage to the New World. In the year 1751 sugar cane was introduced by the Jesuit missionaries in the United States. Sugar. It is recorded that sugar was available in London at "two shillings a pound" in 1319 AD. This equates to about US$100 per kilo at today's prices so it was very much a luxury in those days. In 1998 Florida Crystals became the only producer of certified organic sugar in the U.S., marketed through the Florida Crystals® brand. In 2008 Florida Crystals® Natural and Organic sugar were certified Carbonfree®.
It is thought that cane sugar was first used by man in Polynesia from where it spread to India. In 510 BC the Emperor Darius the Great of Persia invaded India where he found "the reed which gives honey without bees". The secret of cane sugar, as with many other of man's discoveries, was kept a closely guarded secret whilst the finished product was exported for a rich profit. Brazil was the largest producer of sugar cane in the world. The next five major producers, in decreasing amounts of production, were India, China, Thailand, Pakistan and Mexico. Sugarcane is harvested by hand and mechanically. Half of the world’s total sugarcane production comes from hand harvesting.