Originating in the Pacific, sugar cane laid its roots on Polynesian lands around 300 AD. It acclimatised particularly well to the atmospheric conditions in the Polynesian islands and was cultivated for its sweet juice used as an excipient for ‘Ra’au Tahiti’ (traditional medicine) and for the taste of the plant’s stalk, which is still chewed by many today.

The expansion of sugar cane began in the 18th Century when Louis Antoine de Bougainville and James Cook discovered the cane during their worldwide expeditions, and enabled it to travel the continents as far as the Caribbean under the name ‘O’Tahiti.’

Considered as the world’s finest, it was the most widely produced sugar cane during the 19th Century before being supplanted by modern hybrids.

The original cane was carefully preserved in Polynesian gardens and has managed to patiently remain alive and well over the centuries.