Thailand was also the inventor of VHP raw sugar, a raw sugar product with a minimum sucrose content of 99.4% . Prior to the invention of VHP raw sugar, raw cane juice would be boiled or evaporated until all that was left was a dark brown natural sugar product full of contaminants and mixed with molasses. This raw sugar required a great deal of processing to refine it into the sparkling white ICUMSA 45 sugar which has gained dominion throughout most of the developed world as a sweetener of choice.

VHP sugar, on the other hand, is made by processing the raw cane juice by boiling it until the solution is concentrated enough for sucrose crystals to form, allowing the juice to cool so that the crystals do form, and then centrifuging the solution and the crystals. During the centrifugal process, the crystals are separated from the remaining liquid content, which is molasses.

Modern sugar production has progressed in leaps and bounds, and technology has replaced slave labor. Thailand has been at the forefront of development in the sugar industry for many years, sequencing the sugar cane genome, developing over 100 strains of sugar cane, and devising milling and refining methods that are so advanced that mills and refineries are often able to sell excess energy back on to the national grid rather than pay for power with which to conduct their operations.