Melacak Jejak Si Manis di Kota Seribu Candi: Eksistensi Pabrik Gula Demak Idjo di Regentschap Sleman, 1906–1936

Abstrak

This study investigates the historical background of the establishment of the Demak Idjo Sugarcane Mill, its production and distribution activities between 1906 and 1936, and its socio-economic and socio-cultural impacts on workers and the surrounding community. Employing the historical method, which encompasses heuristics, verification, interpretation, and historiography, this research seeks to answer three main questions: the factors driving the establishment of the mill, the processes of production and distribution, and the consequences of its existence on society. Findings reveal that the establishment of the Demak Idjo Sugarcane Mill was motivated by favorable geographical conditions that supported sugarcane cultivation. The factory implemented a systematic production process that included extraction, clarification, evaporation, crystallization, separation of sugar crystals, filtration, packaging, and storage, with final products distributed through the port of Semarang. Beyond economic productivity, the mill contributed to significant changes in local society, influencing both socio-economic structures and socio-cultural dynamics. Overall, the Demak Idjo Sugarcane Mill illustrates how colonial-era industrial enterprises shaped regional development and community life in early twentieth-century Java.