Alfonso Fanjul Jr., a Cuban American business magnate who built one of the world's largest sugar operations alongside his brother José "Pepe" Fanjul, died at 89. The Fanjul family controls Fanjul Corp., which operates the globe's biggest cane sugar refiner and owns iconic brands Domino and C&H.
The Fanjuls transformed their family's pre-revolution Cuban sugar interests into a sprawling American enterprise after fleeing Castro's Cuba in the 1960s. Their operation spans Florida's Everglades region, where they cultivate vast sugarcane fields and control critical refining infrastructure. Domino and C&H combined represent roughly half of U.S. retail sugar sales, giving the family extraordinary influence over a commodity that touches nearly every consumer packaged good.
Fanjul Jr.'s death marks the end of an era for a family that shaped American agricultural and food policy for decades. The Fanjuls wielded outsized political influence, contributing heavily to candidates on both sides of the aisle while lobbying for tariffs that protected domestic sugar prices from cheaper foreign competition. Those protections have remained remarkably durable despite consumer advocacy and agricultural economist criticism.
Beyond sugar, the family diversified into real estate, particularly in South Florida, where they became major developers. Their wealth accumulated into one of the largest private fortunes in the United States, though the family maintained a deliberately low public profile compared to other billionaire dynasties.
The Fanjul operation faces shifting headwinds. Climate change threatens Florida's agricultural viability, environmental groups continue challenging sugarcane farming practices near the Everglades, and global sugar markets remain volatile. Wholesale sugar prices trade on the Intercontinental Exchange and have swung sharply based on Brazilian crop conditions and currency fluctuations.
José "Pepe" F