144 Christopher Columbus and other explorers brought sugar cane to the Caribbean and Central America, where the climate provided ideal growing conditions. Soon, Europeans established massive plantations for the labor-intensive crop, and the global slave trade found an eager market for captive African workers. During Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign, military blockades prevented the French from accessing Caribbean sugar. Scientists who had observed German efforts to extract sugar from beets suggested the approach to the emperor, who made incentives available to local producers. By 1837, there were more than 500 beet sugar processing plants in France, and sugar beet cultivation spread across Europe and to the United States. Increased availability and improved processing techniques made processed sugar affordable, dramatically increasing global demand for the commodity. In many places, sugar production became the largest single contributor to the local economy. While every sugar producer wanted to operate efficiently and profitably, being able to increase production was especially important in those areas where sugar was the key to supporting the population. CHAPTER 12 above: Left to right. 1985. Jim Coleman (Sales Manager–Western States), Sue Croi (Steve’s Sister), Bob Jones (President–Western States), Steve Lumingkewas (P.T. Encoxim–Indonesia)