Situated in the municipality of Paudalho, on the banks of the Capibaribe River, it was founded in 1911 by Herculano Bandeira de Melo.
With the death of its founder, the factory passed into the ownership of his sons, Raul Bandeira de Melo and Herculano Bandeira de Melo Filho.
In 1929, under the direction of Raul and Herculano Bandeira de Melo (H. Bandeira & Co.), the factory had three fields – Itaboraí, Condado (‘County’) and Macacos (‘Monkeys’) – with a total production capacity of 12,500 tonnes of sugarcane, and another 18 suppliers with a capacity for 70,000 tonnes. It had a 40km-long railway, 2 locomotives and 60 wagons. The transportation of sugarcane and fuel was by its own railway, animal power (ox carts) and trucks, while that of sugar and ethanol was by the Great Western line. In the milling period, around 200 workers were employed at the factory. It had a workers’ village with 60 houses and two schools – a day and a night school – with an average annual attendance of 50 students.
Due to financial problems the factory was sold to the Cooperativa Agrícola Tiriri (Tiriri Agricultural Cooperative), administrated for a period by Fr Antônio Melo. The problems continued, the priest was released of the command and a group led by Clóvis Monteiro assumed the administration. The factory, however, did not prosper and had to cease its operations.
Recife, 7 August 2003.
(Updated on 9 September 2009).
Translated by Peter Leamy, January 2012.
sources consulted
ANDRADE, Manuel Correia de. História das usinas de açúcar de Pernambuco. Recife: FJN. Ed. Massangana, 1989. 114 p. (República, v.1)
GONÇALVES & SILVA. O assucar e o algodão em Pernambuco. Recife: [s.n.], 1929. 90 p.
MOURA, Severino. Senhores de engenho e usineiros, a nobreza de Pernambuco. Recife: Fiam, CEHM, Sindaçúcar, 1998. 320 p. (Tempo municipal, 17).
how to quote this text
Source: GASPAR, Lúcia. Mussurepe Sugarcane Factory. Pesquisa Escolar Online, Joaquim Nabuco Foudation, Recife. Available at: <https://pesquisaescolar.fundaj.gov.br/en/>. Accessed: day month year. Exemple: 6 Aug. 2009