There’s a lot more to sugar than sugar cane… That’s what the new L’Aventure du Sucre museum is all about. Two brand-new areas tell the story of diversification into energy production and distillery, with the explosion of old rum. But above all, the visit reveals the phenomenal role played by this industry over time, and its cultural, historical, sociological, scientific and technical impact. It has shaped a country and a perception of the world. Dominique Bellier
Over the past two years, the L’Aventure du Sucre team has rethought and enriched all its content, modernized its museography, developed illustration, video and images, introduced games and interactivity wherever possible, and multiplied physical and sensory experiences. During the last six months of 2025, the ecomuseum transformed itself step by step, without closing for a single day. The noisy work took place after closing, and the modifications were carried out by moving the old version into the temporary exhibition space open to visitors, while the new scenography with its objects and furniture was installed out of sight…
The entire tour is designed to suit different audiences, even the under-6s, who have their own “toddler trail”, while adults and seniors can take breaks as and when required. Among the tools on offer, a games booklet allows 6 to 18 year-olds to win a small gift, while the audioguide, downloadable onto the phone, will be available in nine languages from March, thanks to the addition of Mauritian kreol!
Today, the ecomuseum covers 5,000 m2 in nine themed areas. There’s the 33-meter-high round chimney from 1895, around which village life was organized, the giant gears, the steam locomotive, the last barge from the dockers’ era, the laboratory and the cooking vats that smell of caramel.
Although it is set in the former Beau Plan sugar factory, it concerns the whole profession, helping us to understand why three factories produce 250,000 tonnes of sugar today, when 259 sugar factories produced 115,000tonnes in the 19the century. The historical sections tell the story of the origins of sugar cane, how crystal became indispensable throughout the world, the spread of world trade, the tragedy of slavery and indentured servitude.
Among the new features, the Energy area retraces the know-how involved in producing electricity from bagasse and sugarcane straw, and also looks at other forms of renewable energy. The reconstruction of the New Grove distillery illustrates the revival of Mauritian rum, since a 2001 law authorized the production of agricultural rum, which had been banned for decades in favor of sugar… Copper vats and stills, and oak barrels tell the story of 200 years of know-how, while an interactive bar introduces visitors to the organoleptic richness of the spirit, through videos, tastings and an odorama enabling them to distinguish its many aromas…
