Today, the only remaining sugar mill in Martinique is L'usine du Galion located at the mouth of the river of the same name in the town of la Trinité.  Originally the Habitation Le Galion, it consisted of the Galion and Grands-Fonds plantations and factories owned by the famous and powerful Dubuc family started in 1657 when Pierre Dubuc landed in Martinique from Dieppe in Normandy.  Today the ruins of the Dubuc Castle built by Pierre’s grandson Louis François Dubuc (1759-1827) still stand.

In 1819 Louis François was in serious financial difficulties, in 1820 the Galion and Grands-Fonds plantations were acquired “à la barre du tribunal” by Jacques Marie Lalanne.  In 1833 upon the death of Jacques Marie, the plantations were inherited by his son Paul Lalanne and his son-in-law and legal practitioner Jean Emile Merlande (1806-1852) who in 1833 had married Pierre’s daughter Rose Marie Élisabeth Lalanne (1814-1899).  Again due to excessive indebtedness, in 1842 Paul and Jean Emile obtain a loan from Eugène Eustache et Cie. but unable to repay the debt, in 1849 the plantations were foreclosed upon and acquired by Eugène Eustache (1807-1883), a merchant from Saint-Pierre born in Antwerp, Belgium.  

The current sugar mill was built between 1861 and 1865 by Eustache because the sugar factories at the plantations were old and at the end of their useful lives.  The new  establishment was built on the lands of Grands-Fonds and was called "Factory Galion".  It's machinery was acquired from Cail & Co. for which Eustache borrowed F1.2 million fom Crédit Foncier Colonial.  Thanks to the sugar profit boom of the 1870s, he repaid the loan in advance.  To ensure the sugarcane supply for his factory, Eustache systematically bought all the fields offered him around Grands-Fonds Galion which included Bord-De-Mer, Desmarinières, Morne-Galbas, Despite-All, Fonds Galion and Mignot.  He then became owner of a vast area of ​​2,344 hectares (1 hectare=2.4 acres) in an arc around Galion Bay supplying all the sugarcane necessary for the smooth running of his plant.

Emile Bougenot (1838-1925) was born in a small village of the Côte d'Or from a wealthy peasant background, he pursued engineering studies and started working at Société J. F. Cail & Cie. in 1859.  The following year, he was sent to Martinique to direct the installation of the Lareinty plant.  It is to him that Eustache called to mount L'usine du Galion.  Emile married Eustache's daughter and after Eustache's death in 1883, Emile remained in charge of the estate.  The following years were of rapid social and patrimonial rise for Emile.  Of the twenty one sugar factories in operation in the second half of the 19th Century in Martinique, he was manager of nine, shareholder of fifteen, and co-owner of Galion, thus obtaining significant income. 

When he became 100% owner of L'usine du Galion, he abandoned his involvement in all the other factories.  In 1892 he entrusted the administration of the factory to Joseph de Laguarigue, a white Creole from Trinity, and finally returned to France where he continued to follow the management of the factory until his death.

Besides sugar, Galion also produces molasses used in the production of its three types of rums, White, Dark and Grand Arome.  Today, Le Galion is the only distillery in Martinique producing non-rhum agricole or rum distilled from molasses or cane syrup, rather than cane juice. Le Galion processes approximately 40% of the sugarcane grown on the island, which is not sufficient to cover the island's need for sugar.