Iconic Domino Sugar Refinery On Yonkers Waterfront Will Be Shuttered

YONKERS, NY — A living part of Hudson Valley history will soon come to an end.

ASR Group, the parent company of Domino Sugar, said it will close its Yonkers refinery at the end of this year.

"Throughout our history, we have made considerable investments and operational changes to meet our customers' sweetening needs," ASR Group Vice President Rob Sproull said, announcing the news. "These recent changes are simply an extension of our continuous improvement journey to provide exceptional customer value and service. We will continue to operate large cane sugar refineries across the U.S. with the capacity to meet our customers' cane sugar requirements. And, now, we're further complementing the capabilities of our refineries with smaller, more flexible operations to effectively service our customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. geographies."

The move means doubling the size of its Buffalo plant. The company's Chalmette Refinery, in Louisiana, and its Baltimore Refinery, in Maryland, will increase production.

But, here in the Hudson Valley, the Yonkers plant will be shuttered, according to the company.

"The Domino Sugar refinery has been part of Yonkers for over two decades, and the location itself has operated as a sugar refinery for more than 130 years," Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said in a statement, reacting to the news. "While it's tough to see such a long-standing presence close its doors, this 22-acre site along the Hudson is one of the most valuable properties from here to Albany. We see this as another opportunity to continue the transformation happening in the Yonkers. Housing and recreation are the best uses of the Hudson waterfront these days, and our role will be to see that the interests of all Yonkers residents are met going forward."

Spano said that over the next six months, Domino will work with the New York State Department of Labor to provide resume-building and job placement services to its employees, and the city will work closely with the Yonkers Workforce Development Board to support those impacted.

"I look forward to working with Domino on what comes next and how we can move Yonkers forward together," the mayor said.