Former Grosse Montagne Sugar Plant

Architecture - Lamentin

Located in Desbonnes, Grosse Montagne was the last working sugar plant in Basse Terre. Closed in 1995, its vestiges are still visible here. Grosse Montagne was a direct participant in the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th/early 20th century, when centrally located factories serving large agricultural properties began to supplant sugar plantations and private operations in Guadeloupe. The Grosse Montagne industrial group started in the late 19th century with a distillery, to which was added a large sugar-processing unit in 1925. Surrounding farmers and plantations (Merlande, Caféière, Douillard, etc.) brought their harvests here. The factory processed up to 250,000 tons of cane per year, also producing the Charles Simonet run line. Unfortunately, international competition and difficulties relating to management put a definitive end to the plant’s activities.