Bonaire Bits - Salt

Bonaire may have lacked many of the resources that made other Caribbean colonies prosperous, but it did have an abundance of one precious commodity – that was salt.  A necessary ingredient for preserving meat and fish before the days of refrigeration, salt historically became the root of many conflicts between European factions.  The eventual Dutch takeover of Bonaire nearly four centuries ago underscored the value of salt.

Slaves were not only brought to Bonaire to tend the crops, but to work the salt pans.  They generally lived in Rincon with their families where it was believed to be safe from pirates.  Each start to the workweek they would walk to the southern portion of the island to work the salt pans.  At the end of the week they would return to Rincon to gather supplies at Mangazina di Rei (King’s storehouse) and visit with their families before heading back.  The production of salt slowed with the abolition of slavery in 1863; however, it continued to be harvested, fluctuating with market demand, tariffs and weather.

In the 1960’s, a U.S. company, Cargill Corporation, designed solar salt works on the island, revitalizing the industry and becoming responsible for Bonaire’s thriving salt industry today.  Huge mounds of salt crystals can be seen on the south end of the island.  Bonaire salt is extracted from the Caribbean Sea.  The seawater is circulated either by gravity or pumps and flows through successive man-made ponds.  It flows a long way, taking on the form of saturated brine produced by natural evaporation, before it arrives at the salt beds where it crystallizes and becomes ready for harvesting.  Visitors can watch the salt harvesting and loading of ships via a conveyor crossing over the coast road.

Cargill Salt produces, packages and ships salt for agricultural uses, food, water conditioning, industrial and packaged ice control.  Cargill makes over 1,000 different salt products/package sizes and markets national and regional brands, including Diamond Crystal® branded household consumer food and water softener salt products and Champions Choice® branded agricultural salts.

On a side note, the disease Lymphatic Filariasis (LF), commonly referred to as elephantiasis, is one of the leading causes of disability in the world.  It affects roughly one-third of the population in Haiti, and since 1993 it has been targeted for elimination by the Norte Dame Haiti Program (NDHP).  Fascinatingly enough, this debilitating disease can be eliminated using something humans consume every day: table salt.  Recently Cargill assisted in relief efforts for Haiti by donating 100 metric tons of raw salt that will be fortified and provided to Haitians.