Big Isle sugar mill
equipment to be auctioned
A minimum bid of $1.35 million
Star-Bulletin staff
has been set for the itemsAuctioneers will sell off equipment from the Ka'u Agribusiness Co. defunct sugar mill in Pahala on the Big Island on June 19 at 11 a.m. At the height of its production, the mill processed 2,800 tons of sugar a day. It closed in March 1996.
A "minimum opening bid" for all the equipment has been set at $1.35 million but the appraised value is much higher, said Tim Summers, manager of the sugar department at Perry Machinery Inc. of Hainesport, Pa., which is helping set values for the auctioneers, Rabin Brothers of San Francisco.
"We've sent out videos around the world and expect bidders to come to Hawaii," Summers said.
All bidders must prequalify and put up a $100,000 deposit.
The equipment includes a 1984 Wen Hsing "four mill tandem" set of rollers which breaks down the sugar cane as it comes into the mill; evaporators, crystallizers, vacuum pans, a sugar cane preparation plant, a Riley Stoker bagasse/oil fired boiler, power equipment and plant air conditioner.
Summers said there are also some sugar mill buildings and some go with the auction, if the buyer wants to take them. Some of the buildings will be retained by Ka'u Agribusiness' parent company, C. Brewer & Co., for macadamia nut operations.
When the Ka'u Agribusiness sugar operation closed last year it marked the end of sugar for the Big Island and about 250 workers lost their jobs.
Inspections can be made on June 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or earlier by appointment. Call Rabin Brothers at (800) 421-2144 for more information.
