Diego works from midnight to midday, 6 days a week in this panela factory in Consacá, Nariño, Southern Colombia. The process involves extracting sugar cane juice and then boil it until the water is evaporated to then shape it into small blocks using wood moulds before it cools down and the sucrose solidifies. The panela has been processed in Central and South America for more than 500 years and it’s widely used as a more healthy option to white refined sugar.