Come explore the secretive, multi-billion dollar sugar industry and the epic court battle that exposes how sugar is grown, cultivated and sold. Hear firsthand from the workers, lawyers and journalists exposing the lies, exploitation and ultimately the truth. We travel from the Oval Office to the nightclubs of Havana to the sugarcane fields of Florida. Big Sugar is a deep dive into the inner workings of the industry. This is a story of our time, an untold story that focuses on human rights, lobbying, nutrition and the environment. Hosted by Celeste Headlee. Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Charity Ryerson investigates human rights and environmental abuse allegations against multinational corporations everyday. But what she and her team found in Central Romana worker camps was like nothing they'd ever seen before. Has the sugar ban changed anything about how Big Sugar operates?
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
Who Bears the Cost
Meet Kina Phillips, part of the grass roots effort in Florida to fight cane burning and encourage the sugar companies to embrace green-harvesting methods. Then, Celeste digs deeper into how the pending Farm Bill affects the cost of sugar.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
Black Snow Falls in Florida
Reporter Lulu Ramadan set out to cover the health effects of burning cane. Now, for the first time, there is data linking Florida residents’ respiratory illnesses to Big Sugar.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
Trench Warfare
There’s one last jury trial left, one last shot at forcing the sugar companies to make good on unpaid wages. And Dave Gorman miraculously finds new evidence that could clinch it. But that’s when an obscure 150-year-old law comes into play, sending the lawyers reeling. Finally, the lawyers, journalists and cutters reflect on what the kingdom of big sugar reveals about life, race and justice in America.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
The Battle of the Swamp
At the intersection of sugar, nature and influence, you find yourself in just one place: the Everglades, an environmental wonder and disaster. The fight for control and the fight to clean up the massive waterway from agricultural pollution shows the sugar industry’s mastery of lobbying. Exhibit A: the Fanjuls have a direct line straight to the Oval Office.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
Bittersweet
Meet Cristin Kearns, a dentist turned detective. She's on a mission to uncover the darkly shrewd public relations strategies that the Sugar industry has used to burnish its image and conceal the health impacts of its product. If this sounds remarkably similar to the tobacco industry, it’s no coincidence.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
The Decision and the Drama
Edward and Dave try to convince a jury that the farm owners have systematically underpaid the Caribbean men who cut their sugarcane. But they lose over and over – three juries in three separate trials find in favor of the farmers. The decade-long case is taking a massive toll on the lawyers, personally and professionally. And Edward’s bitter departure from the case involves... Robert De Niro.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
The American Dream
Exiled brothers Alfy and Pepe Fanjul landed in Florida after the Cuban Revolution with their sights set on one thing: rebuilding their fortune. Their journey to riches includes an FBI investigation, sweeping agricultural legislation and The Godfather... yes, that Godfather.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
Without Sugar, There is No Country
There is a saying in Cuba: “Without sugar there is no country.” The Fanjul family became fabulously wealthy farming sugar beginning in 1850. The Cuban Revolution forced them out of the country and set them on the path to becoming America’s sugar barons. They own Domino Sugar and the farms that lawyers Dave and Edward are suing.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
The Case that Consumed Them
First, a major win: a judge finds the lawyers’ claims are credible and awards the workers a $51 million summary judgment. But the celebration is short lived. Not only is the decision overturned on appeal, but now Edward and Dave must face the sugar industry and its flamboyant legal team... in five separate jury trials.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
The Grass is Always Greener
Crusading lawyer Edward Tuddenham hears about the sugarcane workers - the conditions, the injuries and unpaid wages. With Harley-riding, former intelligence officer Dave Gorman as co-counsel, he takes on the powerful sugar industry on behalf of the workers, suing five enormous farms.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
Welcome to Blood, Sweat and Tears
When Selvin Grant and Victor Blackwood, along with thousands of others, traveled from the Caribbean to Florida to cut sugarcane, they learned just how difficult the job was. It was relentless, dehumanizing and shockingly dangerous. When two journalists learned what was happening on the sugar farms, they fought to uncover the truth.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Mar 2026
Big Sugar Trailer
Come explore the secretive, multi-billion dollar sugar industry and the epic court battle that exposes how sugar is grown, cultivated and sold. Hear firsthand from the workers, lawyers and journalists exposing the lies, exploitation and ultimately the truth. We travel from the Oval Office to the nightclubs of Havana to the sugarcane fields of Florida. Big Sugar is a deep dive into the inner workings of the industry. This is a story of our time, an untold story that focuses on human rights, lobbying, nutrition and the environment. Hosted by Celeste Headlee. Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Big Sugar is a Weekday Fun Production in association with Imagine Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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