What Azucarera El Viejo does

Azucarera El Viejo is the largest sugar mill in Costa Rica, producing approximately 1.8 million 50-kg sacks (roughly 90,000 metric tons) of sugar per year, equivalent to 22.7-24% of national output. The company operates an integrated agroindustrial platform that combines sugarcane milling, bagasse-fired cogeneration of up to 17 MW sold to ICE, a free-trade zone (Zona Franca El Viejo), an in-house distillery (Vocatus), a consumer health product line (Azalúa), and nature tourism (El Viejo Wetlands) anchored on the 1,138-hectare Hacienda El Viejo National Wildlife Reserve. Its raw material base comprises 8,841 owned hectares, 3,721 rented hectares, and 3,766 hectares from 249 independent grower contracts, with sugar distributed exclusively through the LAICA channel mandated by Costa Rican law. The company is family-owned (Jenkins family, with José Alvaro Jenkins as President and Alfonso Gómez Jenkins as Vice President), employs 426 permanent staff plus ~500 seasonal workers, and supports over 3,000 indirect jobs.

The business model rests on commodity sugar revenue complemented by ancillary by-product monetization (electricity, molasses-derived spirits, branded retail sugar) and land-based recurring revenue (FTZ rents, tourism). All milled sugar must be sold through LAICA, and electricity is off-taken by ICE under a single buyer relationship, which creates predictable volume but limited pricing power. Multiple sustainability and quality certifications — Bonsucro, Fair Trade, ISCC, Carbon Neutral, Blue Flag, Kosher, FSSC 22000, and ISO 9001 — position the company for premium export and ESG-mandated markets. In March 2023, El Viejo signed a research and technology collaboration with Universidad Cenfotec to introduce drones, IoT sensors, and machine learning across agricultural and industrial operations, signaling an early-stage digital modernization program. Strategic diversification into consumer products (Azalúa, launched November 2022), premium spirits (Vocatus, 2020), and high-tech tenancy (Leo Labs radar operations since April 2021) reflects an effort to reduce dependence on commodity sugar cycles.

Name

Azucarera El Viejo

Legal name

Azucarera El Viejo S.A.

Website

https://azucareraelviejo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Azucarera El Viejo is Costa Rica's largest sugar mill, producing ~1.8 million 50-kg sacks annually (~22.7% of national output) and operating an integrated platform spanning cogeneration, distillery, free-trade zone, consumer products, and nature tourism. Family-owned (Jenkins family).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sugar Production and Agroindustrial Processing

NAICS

Cane Sugar Manufacturing (311314), Sugarcane Farming (111930), Sugar Manufacturing (31131)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Cane Sugar (Raw & Refined) (AFAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sugarcane Farming (AFAGAEAA), Sugar & Starch Crop Contract Growing & Plantation Operations (AFAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Sugar production
• Sugarcane milling
• Bagasse cogeneration
• Clean energy generation
• Agroindustrial processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Corralillo

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Sugar and Syrup Production: Azucarera El Viejo produces 1,800,000 50-kg sacks of sugar per year (22.7% of national production). Products include raw sugar, white regular sugar, white special sugar, Zukra sugar, organic sugar, and molasses. Sugar and syrup are commercialized through LAICA (Liga Agrícola de la Caña), the national cane league responsible for domestic sugar marketing.
2. Clean Energy Cogeneration: The company generates clean electricity by burning bagasse (fibrous waste from sugarcane) in boilers. 17 MW of the clean energy generated is sold to the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE). The remainder is used internally for the mill and field irrigation. This production is carbon neutral and serves over 30,000 homes during the dry season.
3. Free Trade Zone Management: Azucarera El Viejo owns and operates Zona Franca El Viejo, a 5-hectare agro-industrial free trade zone in the canton of Carrillo, Guanacaste. The zone has capacity for five multinational companies and currently hosts Vocatus (alcohol distillery) and Leo Labs (space radar). The zone generates additional employment and development for the province.
4. El Viejo Wetlands Tourism: El Viejo Wetlands is a tourist center located within the Hacienda El Viejo National Wildlife Reserve. It generates 33 direct jobs and funds the maintenance of the protected reserve. Visitors enjoy boat tours, guided hikes, cultural experiences including a traditional sugar mill (trapiche), and typical Guanacaste cuisine.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Azucarera El Viejo is the largest sugar mill in Costa Rica, producing raw sugar, white regular sugar, white special sugar, Zukra sugar, organic sugar, and molasses from sugarcane grown on its own and partner farms. It generates 17 MW of clean electricity from bagasse biomass cogeneration, sold to the national grid via ICE. Diversified offerings include the Azalúa consumer health product, the Vocatus alcohol/rum distillery, the El Viejo Wetlands tourism center, and the Zona Franca El Viejo free trade zone.

Product overview

Azucarera El Viejo operates as a diversified agroindustrial company with a platform of interconnected products and services. The core business produces sugar products (raw sugar, white regular sugar, white special sugar, Zukra sugar, organic sugar) and molasses from sugarcane processing. Parallel to sugar production, the company generates clean electric power from bagasse biomass, which is sold to the national grid and used in operations. The company has diversified into consumer products including Azalú (health supplement from dehydrated cane juice) and Vocatus (alcohol/rum production). Additionally, the company operates El Viejo Wetlands as a tourism center and maintains the Hacienda El Viejo National Wildlife Reserve for environmental conservation, while managing the El Viejo Free Trade Zone for agroindustrial operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Azalú: Dehydrated cane juice product containing policosanols that contribute to improving cholesterol levels and promoting blood circulation. Sold in Mega Super supermarkets.
• Vocatus

Products and services

• Sugar Products (Azúcar)

Quantifiable outcome

• 22.7% of Costa Rica's national sugar production
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Universidad CenfoteccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 March 2023Universidad Cenfotec and Azucarera El Viejo partnered on an innovative research program called 'Business-Academy (B+A) Challenge-Driven Research & Development.' The university employs drones, IoT, machine learning, and other technologies to address technological challenges in the company's agroindustrial operations. This is a nonprofit, non-traditional research consortium model, marking a milestone in Costa Rica for private-sector technology collaboration.
• Banco NacionalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2022Azucarera El Viejo partners with Banco Nacional under the 'Transforming Communities' program. The bank provided ₡26 million in non-reimbursable capital for the La Guinea communal aqueduct project (total ₡45.9 million). Azucarera contributed ₡16.6 million including machinery, materials, and volunteer labor. The project supplies drinking water to 1,228 inhabitants. The program has invested ₡293 million benefiting over 56,000 people across Costa Rica in 2021.
• ASADA La Guinea (Asociación Administradora de los Sistemas de Acueductos y Alcantarillados)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2022ASADA La Guinea partnered with Azucarera El Viejo and Banco Nacional on the communal aqueduct project. ASADA contributed ₡3.3 million and manages the water system, which serves 65 families (128 men and 100 women) plus approximately 1,000 people indirectly during harvest season.
• Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 6 October 2021Azucarera El Viejo partners with INA (National Learning Institute) to provide vocational training programs for collaborators and community members. Programs include 'Sanitation of Productive Processes of the Food Industry' (21 graduates, 80%+ women heads of household) and 'Harvest Equipment Operation' (32 graduates over two cohorts). Training covers food handling, GMP, cleaning, waste management, and agricultural equipment operation.
• Leo LabsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 April 2021Leo Labs installed the world's most advanced space radar at Zona Franca El Viejo within the Hacienda El Viejo National Wildlife Reserve in April 2021. The radar, built entirely in Costa Rica by Costa Rican engineers, tracks objects the size of a golf ball traveling at over 30,000 km/h. It serves the ISS and the global space industry. The reserve spans 2,020 hectares bordering the Tempisque River and Palo Verde National Park.
• Vocatus (distillery)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020Vocatus is an alcohol-producing distillery installed in Zona Franca El Viejo, inaugurated around 2020. It produces alcohol with first-world quality standards, serving as the first operation in the free trade zone. The company plans to eventually produce rum from organic sugarcane. It also serves as a future tourism product for Hacienda El Viejo Wetlands visitors.
• Liga Agrícola de la Caña (LAICA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLAICA is the national entity responsible for commercializing all sugar and syrup produced by Costa Rican mills. Azucarera El Viejo delivers its sugar output to LAICA, which manages domestic marketing and distribution across Costa Rica's 11 mills and 7,500 sugarcane producers.
• Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAzucarera El Viejo sells 17 MW of clean electricity to ICE, representing 2% of Costa Rica's total power consumption. In the dry season, El Viejo becomes one of ICE's main private generators, supplying over 30,000 homes with clean energy. This arrangement is governed by a power purchase agreement and contributes to national grid stability.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Tereos: Tereos is one of the world's largest sugar and ethanol cooperatives with extensive operations in Brazil and Europe. Broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in sugar processing, cogeneration, and sustainability certifications but at much larger global scale.
• Bunge Limited: Bunge is a global agribusiness and food company with major sugar trading and milling operations in Brazil and Latin America. Overlapping capabilities in sugar origination, processing, and logistics but operates as a broad incumbent rather than a specialized Central American mill.

Direct peers

• Pantaleon Sugar Holdings: Pantaleon is the largest sugar producer in Central America, operating mills across Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and other countries with integrated cogeneration and ethanol production. It is the most direct comparable peer given the shared Central American sugar mill + bagasse cogeneration model at much larger scale.
• Central Romana Corporation: Dominican Republic integrated sugar producer with cogeneration, real estate, tourism, and free trade zone operations. Highly comparable to El Viejo given the parallel diversification into tourism and industrial parks alongside core sugar operations.
• Cosagro: Cosagro is a Colombian sugar producer operating mills in the Valle del Cauca region with cogeneration and sustainability certifications. Comparable Latin American sugar platform with similar ESG positioning and integrated operations.
• Ingenio San Antonio: Ingenio San Antonio is a Costa Rican sugar mill within the LAICA commercialization system, producing sugar, molasses, and electricity. Direct competitor operating in Costa Rica under the same national sugar framework and energy PPA structure.
• Ingenio Taboga: Taboga is a Costa Rican sugar mill and fellow LAICA member operating in Guanacaste. Direct domestic competitor operating in the same national regulatory and commercialization framework as El Viejo, producing sugar and energy for Costa Rica.
• Belize Sugar Industries (BSI): BSI operates the only sugar mill in Belize, producing sugar and bagasse-based cogeneration electricity for the national grid under a PPA. Directly comparable given the single-mill, PPA-driven business model serving a small national market.
• Grupo Industrial Azucarero (GIA): GIA is a Guatemalan sugar mill consortium producing sugar, ethanol, and electricity. Comparable Central American sugar + cogeneration business with multiple mills and integrated renewable energy generation.
• Azunosa: Azucarera del Norte S.A. operates the largest sugar mill in Honduras, producing sugar and ethanol from sugarcane with its own cogeneration. Comparable to El Viejo as a Central American mill integrating energy production and sustainable certifications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/azelviejo
• Facebookfacebook.com/elviejo.cr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/azucarera-el-viejo-s-a-

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Azucarera El Viejo