Domino Foods

Domino Sugars plant in Baltimore, Maryland
Landmark Domino Sugar plant in Williamsburg (Brooklyn), New York

Domino Foods, Inc. is a US company owned by American Sugar Refining Inc. that markets sugar under the brand names Domino, C&H, Florida Crystals and Redpath.

History

Crystal Domino sugar ad, 1910.

In 1799, William Havemeyer, who had been an apprentice of a London sugar refiner, was hired by Mr. Edmund Seaman to manage his sugar refinery in New York City. His brother Frederick Havemeyer joined him in 1802. On January 1, 1807, a new plant, called a sugar bakery, was opened as the partnership Wm. and F.C. Havemeyer at Vandam Street. In 1859 the business moved to the waterfront in Williamsburg, and was known as Havemeyer, Townsend & Co Refinery. By 1864, the refinery was the most modern of its time. After a fire destroyed the refinery in 1882, the current plant was rebuilt and was the largest sugar refinery in the United States. After the Sugar Trust was ruled illegal in 1891, Henry Osborne Havemeyer and Theodore A. Havemeyer were elected as chairman and president, respectively, of the American Sugar Refining Company. In May 1896, American Sugar became one of the original 12 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Domino Sugar refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana

The company subsequently acquired five additional refineries. The company became known as Domino Sugar in 1900 and was officially recognized by the patent office on October 8, 1901. In 1916, Domino introduced individually wrapped sugar tablets.

In 1970, the American Sugar Company became the Amstar Corporation.[1] In 1975, Amstar sued Domino's Pizza for trademark infringement; Amstar won at trial but lost on appeal.[2] Amstar was acquired by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 1983; KKR sold Amstar to Merrill Lynch three years later.[3][4] Domino Sugar was acquired by Tate & Lyle in 1988.[5]

In 2001, Domino Sugar officially became Domino Foods, Inc.[1] Domino Sugar Corp. was sold by Tate & Lyle in 2001 to Florida Crystals Corporation and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida in a $180 million deal[6] that closed on November 6, 2001. Florida Crystals is a privately held company that is part of FLO-SUN, a sugar empire of the Fanjul Brothers whose origins trace to Spanish-Cuban sugar plantations of the early 19th century.

In 2012, Two Trees bought the Domino Sugar Refinery site in Willamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, for $185 million. In October of 2014, several of the buildings at the site were demolished, including: the Syrup Shed, the Wash House, Turbine Room, Power House and Pump House.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Sugar Products, Baking Tips, Sweet Recipes, & More - Domino Sugar". dominosugar.com. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Amstar Corp. v. Domino's Pizza, Inc., 615 F.2d 252, 260 (5th Cir. 1980)
  3. ↑ Amstar-Kohlberg
  4. ↑ Amstar Sale Plan Reported
  5. ↑ "Profits sour, Domino Sugar for sale". tribunedigital-baltimoresun. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Domino Sugar sale closes". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Domino Sugar Factory Brooklyn - Two Trees Management Domino". The Real Deal New York. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2015.

External links

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