Haitian American Sugar Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sugar manufacturing and distribution |
| Founded | August 5, 1912 in Wilmington, Delaware, United States |
| Founder | Charles Steinheim, John A. Christie, Franck Corpay |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Port-au-Prince , Haiti |
Area served | Haiti, United States |
| Products | Sugar |
Number of employees | 3,500 |
Haitian American Sugar Company, S.A. (HASCO) was a privately held American corporation created to manufacture and distribute sugar within both Haiti and the U.S. The firm was incorporated on August 5, 1912, in Wilmington, Delaware, by founders Charles Steinheim, John A. Christie, and Franck Corpay, with an initial capital investment of five million dollars.
Political instability in Haiti
Before 1915, HASCO's business activities were jeopardized by Haiti's political turmoil. The dangers encountered by HASCO alongside other American enterprises played a role in prompting the U.S. Marine Corps' intervention in 1915, leading to the United States occupying Haiti until 1934.
Company shutdown
HASCO terminated its operations in 1987, attributing the closure to competition from untaxed sugar smuggled from the Dominican Republic, which eroded its ability to compete within the local market. At the time of its shutdown, HASCO ranked as Haiti's second-largest employer, maintaining a workforce of 3,500 at its refinery located in Port-au-Prince and holding agreements with approximately 30,000 to 40,000 sugarcane growers.