Cuban-American Sugar Magnate Alfonso "Alfy" Fanjul Dies at 89

August 6, 2026

Alfonso "Alfy" Fanjul, the Cuban-American businessman who rebuilt his family's sugar empire in exile and became one of the most prominent Cuban-American entrepreneurs in the United States, died on August 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida, at age 89, according to family statements reported by South Florida media.

Born in Havana in 1937 into one of Cuba's most powerful sugar-producing families, Fanjul left the island with his relatives after the family's plantations and mills were confiscated following the 1959 revolution. In 1960 the family founded a new sugar mill in Pahokee, Florida, laying the groundwork for what would grow into one of the largest sugar operations in the Western Hemisphere.

Fanjul assumed the presidency of Flo-Sun Land Corporation in 1982 after the death of his father, Alfonso Fanjul Sr., and led the Central Romana Corporation in the Dominican Republic as co-chairman and co-CEO for more than four decades. Under his leadership, Florida Crystals grew into a major U.S. sugar producer, while the family's holdings helped expand American Sugar Refining into the world's largest sugar refiner, owner of brands including Domino Sugar and C&H.

Though initially aligned with hardline exile positions, Fanjul later became an advocate for warmer relations between the United States and Cuba, voicing support for the 2015 diplomatic opening under the Obama administration and arguing that decades of isolation had failed to produce political change on the island. He is remembered as one of the most influential figures in the history of the Cuban exile business community.