Gula Java - Olean

Olean is the 'jewel in the crown' of Javan sugar mills. Alone among the mills in Java, it completely retains its 'colonial' atmosphere. Within its walls almost all buildings survive in their original state, the mill itself retains much of its original structure and the majority of the machinery inside is more than 60 years old. In addition, at the time of compilation of this project it still brought in a significant proportion of its cane by steam hauled train on a narrow gauge railway.

The Olean catchment area is small, but the fact that it relies almost totally on irrigation rather than rain means that cultivation can be closely controlled and the cane yield per hectare is by some way the best on the whole island.

I have long been of the opinion that Olean should be retained as a working (museum) mill so that future generations of Indonesians can appreciate their industrial heritage. In the short term it has great tourist potential as it lies astride the well trodden route between Bromo and Bali. This is is not a rich area and the money such a project would bring in is much needed.

Opened in 1860, typically the mill will process less than 1000 tonnes of cane a day with a maximum output of SHS quality sugar of just 60 tonnes. This makes it by some way the smallest mill on the island. As such its survival can only be as a result of acceptance by the authorities of its essential role in preserving the communities in this largely rural area.