Top 10 Sugars
in the World

Javara is an Indonesian brand and social enterprise dedicated to preserving the country’s vast culinary biodiversity by bringing traditional, locally sourced foods to contemporary markets. The company works directly with thousands of small farmers, foragers, and artisans across the archipelago, offering products such as heirloom rice varieties, native grains, spices, coconut-based ingredients, natural sweeteners, herbal powders, and artisanal salts.

Their approach emphasizes the protection of rare and indigenous food traditions while ensuring full traceability and sustainable production practices. Founded in 2008 by Helianti Hilman, Javara was created to empower rural communities and improve market access for small-scale producers.

Today, the brand integrates training programs, entrepreneurship support, and ethical supply chains, positioning itself as a leading advocate of Indonesia’s food heritage and a bridge between traditional wisdom and modern culinary culture.Expand

Big Tree Farms is an Indonesian brand built on principles of sustainability, ethical trade, and organic cultivation, best known for its coconut nectar–based products such as coconut sugar, syrup, and natural sweeteners. The company works with tens of thousands of small farmers across the archipelago, ensuring a transparent supply chain and fair purchasing practices that directly support local communities.

Its assortment includes organic sweeteners, coco aminos, marinades, and other products inspired by traditional Indonesian cuisine. Big Tree Farms is recognized as one of the leading producers of coconut-based ingredients globally, with a mission to blend authentic local techniques with modern market demands while promoting regenerative agriculture and a responsible approach toward nature and community.Expand

Familia del Norte is an artisan cheese producer based in Ferndale, Washington, USA. It was founded by Nidia Hernandez, a first-generation Mexican-American with strong ties to Whatcom and Yakima counties.

With over eight years of experience in cheese-making, Nidia decided to share the richness of Latin American tradition through the Familia del Norte line of cheeses. These cheeses reflect a commitment to authenticity, quality, and a passion for Latin American culinary heritage. They are ideal for use in Mexican dishes such as tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and nachos, but also pair wonderfully with fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, and bread.Expand

The Silver Spoon Company, part of the Associated British Foods group, is a significant producer of sugar in the UK market. Billingtons Food Group specializes in producing high-quality, natural unrefined cane sugars, known for their rich flavors and color.

British Sugar is one of the largest sugar producers in the UK, involved in the entire process from beet farming to sugar production and distribution.Expand

Kadode Kampot Pepper UK specializes in producing high-quality Kampot pepper. The company sources its pepper from Kampot province in Cambodia, known for its ideal growing conditions for pepper plants.

Kadode Kampot pepper is certified with Geographic Indication (GI) status, ensuring its origin and quality are officially recognized. The company focuses on sustainable farming practices and fair trade, aiming to support local farmers and the community.Expand

Tate & Lyle Sugars is one of Europe’s most established producers of cane sugar, with a heritage dating back to 1878 and the historic refinery on the River Thames in London. The company specialises in refining and supplying a wide range of sugars, including white granulated sugar, demerara, muscovado and other specialty cane sugars for household, professional and industrial use.

Its reputation is built on long-standing technical expertise, consistency and a strong connection to British culinary traditions. Today, Tate & Lyle Sugars operates as part of ASR Group, the world’s largest integrated cane sugar producer, while maintaining a clear focus on quality, traceability and reliable supply.

Its products are widely used in baking, confectionery and beverage production, valued for their defined characteristics and dependable performance.Expand

Panela, rapadura or chancaca is a traditional sweetener used in various countries in South and Central America. It is made from sugarcane juice, which is boiled until it becomes thick and then allowed to solidify. The result is a raw, unrefined form of sugar, somewhat similar to jaggery or panela found in other parts of the world. It usually comes in the form of a hard brown block or lump. Its taste is rich and molasses-like, with a slightly smoky or caramel flavor, and is commonly used in South American desserts and sweets. For instance, it's a primary ingredient in miel de chancaca, a syrup made by dissolving chancaca in water along with fragrant spices like cinnamon and cloves. This syrup is then used in various recipes, such as the traditional Peruvian dessert called picarones. Expand

Basterdsuiker is a unique, light brown type of sugar. It is a by-product of white sugar, consisting of sweet, dark, solid crystals with an intensely sweet, caramel-like aroma and flavor with hints of almond and honey. It is low in moisture and thus has a prolonged shelf-life. There are three types of Basterdsuiker: white, pale and dark. Although aromatic, it is less sweet than regular granulated sugar due to its lower sucrose content, but it doesn't taste any less sweet because of the fructose and glucose content, which develop the sweetness faster than in regular sugars. It is added to hot porridge and pancakes and regularly used for baking, giving the baked products a different, sweeter taste, and a rich brown color.Expand

Kluntjes is a variety of rock candy or rock sugar that is commonly used as a sweetener for beverages in Germany. This rock candy is available in white (weißer kandis), and brown (brauner kandis) versions, the latter of which is obtained from caramelized sugar, and it can also be found in several different forms including single large crystals, a few smaller, joined crystals, or ground crystals. Although kluntjes is traditionally used as a tea sweetener, especially in East Frisia, it can also be used for sweetening various other beverages such as coffee, punch, and mulled wine. This sweetener can be bought in almost every German supermarket.Expand

Kokuto is the black sugar from Okinawa. It is a type of unrefined sugar with a dark brown color and a rich, caramelized flavor. It is made by slowly cooking freshly pressed sugar cane juice until it turns into a thick, viscous syrup with a malty, caramel-like flavor. The syrup is then left to set and dry. These dry blocks are then crumbled into smaller pieces or crushed into powder. This sugar can be used to sweeten drinks or desserts. It can be melted and diluted and used as a topping, and it also works well in savory dishes. The production of this dark sugar on Okinawa started in the 17th century. Because of its unique growing conditions, kokuto has a unique, complex flavor. It is rich in minerals and vitamins, and many locals think of it as a health remedy. Kokuto translates as black sugar, but it is commonly labeled as dark brown or brown sugar. Expand

Wasanbon is the light and fine Japanese sugar extracted from the traditional chikutō sugar cane. Characterized by a mild sweetness and unique flavor, it has been produced in Shikoku prefecture for more than two centuries. Before WWII and the import of refined sugar, it was the main sweetener used in traditional Japanese cuisine. Nowadays, wasanbon is regarded as an expensive and exquisite ingredient mainly used in the production of wagashi - classic Japanese confectionery products.Expand

Wasambonto is a traditional product, one of the oldest types of domestic sugar. It’s made with a rare type of sugar cane hailing from the Tokushima Prefecture. Due to the unique refining process, wasambonto has a powdery and smooth texture. The aroma and flavor are delicate and quite different from other, regular types of sugar. Wasambonto is usually used for the preparation of dried sweets in a mold, called higashi.Expand

Gula Jawa is a traditional Indonesian palm sugar, most commonly made from the sap of coconut palm trees, and it’s widely used across Java, hence the name, which literally means "Javanese sugar." Though it is often confused with gula aren (sugar palm sugar), gula Jawa usually refers to palm sugar derived from coconut sap (lat. Cocos nucifera), giving it a slightly different taste and texture. The sap is collected by tapping the flower buds of the coconut palm, then boiled until it thickens and solidifies. The resulting sugar is typically formed into round blocks, discs, or cylinders. Gula Jawa has a light to medium brown color, a mildly sweet and toffee-like flavor, and a smooth, mellow aroma, making it highly versatile in both sweet and savory Indonesian dishes. It’s a key ingredient in classics like semur (sweet soy-braised dishes), opor ayam, satay sauces, klepon, and cendol. Compared to gula aren, which has a darker, smokier, and more complex flavor, gula Jawa is generally lighter and more delicate. In some regions or markets, the terms gula Jawa and gula kelapa (coconut sugar) may be used interchangeably, since both are usually made from coconut sap. However, in Javanese cooking, gula Jawa often implies a specific regional style and form, tied closely to Java’s culinary identity.Expand

Gula aren is a traditional Indonesian sweetener made from the sap of the aren palm tree (lat. Arenga pinnata), also known as the sugar palm. It is a type of palm sugar, but it stands out for its rich, smoky, and deeply caramelized flavor, often considered more intense and earthy than other varieties like coconut sugar or Thai palm sugar. To make gula aren, farmers climb the sugar palms to tap the sweet sap from the flower stalks. This sap is then boiled down slowly over a wood fire until it thickens and darkens into a syrup or solidifies into blocks, cones, or discs. The process is labor-intensive and deeply traditional, often passed down through generations in rural parts of Java and Sumatra. Gula aren has a dark brown color, slightly sticky texture, and complex flavor profile that includes notes of molasses, coffee, smoke, and burnt sugar. It is widely used in Indonesian desserts and drinks such as bajigur, cendol, kolak, and serabi, and is sometimes eaten on its own or used as a glaze. Unlike refined sugar, gula aren retains more of its natural minerals and is considered less processed, although it is still very sweet. Its flavor is irreplaceable in many Indonesian recipes, and while similar products exist, like coconut sugar (gula kelapa) or gula Jawa, gula aren has a distinct identity rooted in its tree source and artisanal production.Expand

Skor thnot Kampong Speu is a Cambodian palm sugar made with the sap of palm sugar tree. The sap is collected from the beginning of December to the end of May by skilled local workers who climb to the top of the trees to collect it with a special tool, a bamboo container called bampong. The sap is processed in pans on cooking stoves - no additional substances are used, and the producers have developed a specific know-how in order to extract high-quality sugar, depending on the final product they want to obtain. Known for its rich flavor and light brown color, skor thnot kampong speu is available in four different forms: as granulated sugar, a paste, as block palm sugar, or as a syrup.Expand

Vergeoise or sucre vergeoise is a variety of brown sugar obtained from sugar beets. Available in light (blonde) and dark or brown (brune) versions, the sugar is distinguished by a soft consistency, a slightly moist texture, and a pleasant aroma and flavor reminiscent of burnt caramel. Typical of northern France and Belgium, this soft brown sugar is essential in the preparation of a wide range of traditional desserts and pastries such as sugar pies, waffles, tarts, and the popular spiced cookies called speculaas.Expand