The Future of Hawai‘i’s Last Sugar Mill

Pu‘unēnē Mill on Maui was bought by Nan Inc., though much of it may be demolished.

For a century, sugarcane was the biggest industry in Hawai‘i.

But as sugar began to decline in the mid-20th century, tourism became the central pillar of the local economy.

Plantations and mills closed one by one until only Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co.’s plantation and mill in Central Maui remained.

Known as “the Beast,” the massive Pu‘unēnē Mill could turn 7,000 tons of sugar cane into brown sugar crystals each day. After 115 years of production, its closure in 2016 ended an era.

In 2018, owners Alexander & Baldwin sold 36,000 acres of former sugar cane fields to Mahi Pono, a farming company that aims to cultivate diverse crops on the land. And in March 2024, local construction company Nan Inc. acquired the mill and 300 adjacent acres. The acquisition includes industrial, commercial, agricultural and residential-zoned land. VP Wyeth Matsubara said Nan plans to “maximize the best uses of each property zoning.”

Asked if Nan plans to tear down the mill, Matsubara said, “We’re going to probably have to do some substantial demolition of at least the interior machinery that was done for all the production.”