Sterling Sugars, LLC, in Franklin, Louisiana was established in 1807 under the name of Sterling Sugar & Railway Co. LTD. The Sterling factory once sold refined sugar under the Sterling name and had a refinery attached to the factory. The refinery was built in 1890 under the name of Caffery Central Refinery. M. A. Patout & Son, LTD, LLC took leadership over Sterling Sugars in 1994.

Today, Sterling Sugars specializes in the production of Louisiana raw sugar and no longer refines. The mill currently processes 1.2 million tons of sugar cane annually, with a daily average of 12,750 tons