• Panela is beloved in Colombia, where it is a go-to sweetener over the more processed white sugar.
• Depending on where it is made, panela can cost up to 17,000 pesos per kilogram.
• In the US, it can cost 20 times more than white sugar.

Panela is beloved in Colombia, where it is a go-to sweetener over the more processed white sugar. It is a type of unrefined sugar where the molasses naturally present in the sugarcane is preserved, unlike refined white sugar. The molasses gives the panela a more complex caramel flavor and makes it richer in minerals and vitamins. But this sweet nectar doesn’t come cheap. In Colombia, depending on where it is made, panela can cost up to 17,000 pesos per kilogram. In the US, it can cost 20 times more than white sugar. So, how is wild panela made? And is this what makes it so expensive?