Why sugar matters here
Sugar cane came to Madeira soon after settlement, and around 1500 the island was one of the world’s leading producers of what people called white gold. Calheta’s sunny, well-watered slopes were some of the best cane land on the island. When the trade faded, the cane stayed, and in the late 19th century a second boom brought steam mills to Arco da Calheta, Jardim do Mar and Calheta town. Read the whole story in the history of Calheta.
From Vicente Lopes to the Sociedade
Vicente Lopes founded a water-powered mill here in 1894. Around 1901 a steam engine was added and the business became Lopes & Duarte. On 14 May 1954 the mills of Calheta were brought together as the Sociedade dos Engenhos da Calheta, the name it still uses.
Much of the machinery is old, and the mill still works with it. Grinding happens once a year, usually starting after Easter, when farmers bring in the harvest; the rest of the year you can visit the museum and the shop.
- year the mill was founded
- 1894
- the Sociedade dos Engenhos da Calheta formed
- 1954
- the cane is ground, usually from after Easter
- once a year
Rum and mel de cana
- Aguardente de cana (Madeira rum). Distilled from fresh cane juice, which gives it a grassy, fruity taste. It is the base of poncha, the island’s drink of rum, honey and lemon.
- Mel de cana. Dark sugar cane honey, boiled down from the juice. It sweetens bolo de mel, Madeira’s spiced honey cake, and is good on bolo do caco.
- Cakes and sweets. The mill also sells the town’s mel de cana cakes.
Museum, tasting and hours
The museum shows 19th- and 20th-century machinery, and a short bilingual film follows the cane from field to bottle: harvesting, transport, milling, fermentation, distillation and bottling. The tasting room pours the house rums and liqueurs.
| Where | Avenida D. Manuel I, 29, Calheta, in the town centre near the beach |
|---|---|
| Open | Monday to Friday 8:00–19:00; weekends and holidays 10:00–19:00 |
| Milling season | Spring, usually from after Easter |
| Nearby | The beach, the marina and the MUDAS museum |
Visit the mill in the afternoon after a swim at the beach, see the art at MUDAS (Calheta town), and come in April for the Sugar Cane Festival (festival calendar).