Raw Sugar Processing at JMB with Jessie Breaux
JMB's Raw Sugar is Processed at the St. Mary Co-Op Sugar Mill
Jessie Breaux Stands in Front of the Sugar Drying and Cooling Process
Located in Jeanerette, Louisiana is the St. Mary Co-Op Sugar Mill where each of their 2 warehouses can hold 85 million tons of sugar. While that may seem like a lot of sugar, over 337 million pounds of sugar in 115 days was produced at the Co-Op in 2018, alone. That's 2.93 million pounds of processed sugar per day.
In 2021, St. Mary Co-Op processed 308 million pounds of sugar in just 95 days! Production-wise and time-wise, that's 3.24 million pounds of sugar a day in a much shorter time period of 20 days less!
The 4 main areas of raw sugar factory operation are: Milling, Clarification, Evaporation, and Crystallization and Centrifuging.
To process sugarcane into sugar or molasses requires several steps:
1) Milling - The cane is delivered and weighed for cane yield, sampled for cane quality, and washed. Then, the cane is crushed to extract the raw juice. The woody residue left after extraction is known as bagasse.
2) Clarification - The raw juice is strained (screened) and heated. Clarifiers such as lime are added.
3) Evaporation - The clarified juice is boiled in evaporators removing the water and forms a thick syrup.
4) Crystallization and Centrifuging - Under a partial vacuum, the syrup is boiled causing the growth of sugar crystals. Massecuite or raw sugar crystals mixed with molasses moves to centrifugals which separate the two. The raw sugar is cooled using dryers, and stored in silos or warehouses until sold to refineries for further processing.
The Family Council wishes to thank Jesse Breaux for forwarding the photographs to Debi Lauret, our JMB Stockholder Liason, and making possible the inclusion of this incredible video, and photos for the JMB Family Assembly Website.
Jessie Breaux, JMB's Agricultural Manager, has been with the Company since April, 2017. He is an Agronomist which is an expert in the science of soil management and crop production. Jessie handles the agriculture leases, and networks with our farmers, too. In addition, Jessie works, closely, with Brian Elliott, our cowboy in West Texas that runs our Ranches.
Jessie is married to Cindy Breaux, and they have 2 daughters, and 1 son.
To learn more about sugarcane processing, the industry, maps, and more, go to: The Louisiana Sugar Industry.
Jessie Breaux,
Field Agronomist,
Announces His Retirement
Jessie Breaux, Agricultural Manager
The Family Council extends their sincerest appreciation to our JMB Agricultural Manager, Jessie Breaux, who has provided the Council with video footage, photos, and documentation for the education of future generations on the growing, harvesting, and processing of raw sugar.
Jessie Breaux, has been with the Company since April, 2017. He is an Agronomist which is an expert in the science of soil management and crop production. Jessie handles the agriculture leases, and networks with our farmers, too. In addition, Jessie works, closely, with Brian Elliott, our cowboy in West Texas that runs our Ranches.
Jessie is married to Cindy Breaux, and they have 2 daughters, and 1 son.
We wish Jessie and Cindy the very best during his retirement and in the years to come.
Aerial View of St. Mary's Co- Op Sugar Mill in Jeanerette, LA