Well, lots of demand for an extended period of time (ie centuries), plus a crop that grew well in areas that didn’t take to traditional cash crops, and sugar was relatively easy to process into a form that shipped well even back in the Age of Sail (molasses and rum).
Frankly, there are a lot of reasons that sugar cane was a popular crop.
I’m assuming that’s the wholesale price. I can’t imagine a single family buying 10 lbs at a time.
I can, given that most families did a hell of a lot more baking/cooking themselves instead of going to restaurants, buying processed food, etc.
Edit: plus, I forgot about making their own preserves and canning food, both of which require a fair bit of sugar, too.
Explains all the sugarcane farms
Well, lots of demand for an extended period of time (ie centuries), plus a crop that grew well in areas that didn’t take to traditional cash crops, and sugar was relatively easy to process into a form that shipped well even back in the Age of Sail (molasses and rum).
Frankly, there are a lot of reasons that sugar cane was a popular crop.