Located in the city of Pontal (SP), the old Central Mill – built in the beginning of the 20th century and preserved in its set of building, equipments, and machinery – takes in the Sugar Cane Museum.

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Being an old dream of the Biagi Family, the museum has as an objective to rescue the industrial memory of the sugar cane, which has influenced not only the history of the region, but also the development of the whole country.

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Currently on its implantation phase, the museu is open to visitors who will be in touch with the imposing edification, which has been built with architecture from the British industrial style from that time with it wide warehouses, apparent bricks and simple ornaments.

The edification has received emergency interventions to interrupt the effects caused by the action of the time, which has been fundamental for the further phases of the museum’s implantation.  

The Sugar Cane Museum’s biggest differential is its collection composed of modern Scotish machinery from the late 1880’s: steam mills , boiling pans , crystallizers, and baggers – brought from Europe to Brazil during the monarchy period and preserved until the present days on their original positions within the mill’s production line.

Other historcially relevant objects are the old seeders, fuel pumps, barrels to benefit and purify sugar, container for the transportation of the hard liquor to the porto f Santos, the stamp that identified the sugar bags with the mill’s brand, the workshop’s machinery and even the old clock that used to be at the top of the mill’s tower.

The collection also contains objects that the Biagi Family has successfully bid from mills located in the northeast region of the country, dated of the 16th century, period that representes the beginnings of the sugar production in Brazil.

 

Phase 1

The first phase of interventions for the safeguard of the patrimony and adjustments for receiving public visitation was concluded in 2013. During this phase the work was focused on the cleaning, recovery and improvement of the infrastructure, besides a preliminar survey and higienization, reform, and adaptation of the small houses around the main building of the Mill.

For this phase the Sugar Cane Museum has counted on the support of the Ministry of Culture, through the Rouanet Law, and of the government of the São Paulo State, through the Cultural Action Program (Proac). It has been sponsored by Bradesco, Itaú BBA, Cia de Bebidas Ipiranga, Dow Agrosciences, Weg Motores Elétricos, Renk Zanini, Usinas Santo Antonio, Sáo Francisco e Santa Vitória, Caldema, TGM Turbinas, Native Orgânicos, Biosev, Sermatec, Sorocaba Refrescos and CPFL Energia.