In 1846, Mauritius became the first sugar-producing colony in the world to industrialize its mills with steam power. This episode follows the story of the first steam-driven sugar mill on the island, installed by the Franco-Mauritian planter Adrien d'Épinay at his estate in Flacq. We explore the labor shift from indentured workers to machine operators, the role of British capital and the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, and the environmental impact of deforestation for fuel. The episode also touches on the resistance of small planters and the emergence of a new Creole bourgeoisie. Through the lens of a single mill, we see how Mauritius became a laboratory for colonial industrial agriculture — and the seeds of its modern economy.
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