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Vermont Maple Festival back after two-year absence this weekend
Peter Gregg | April 20, 2022
ST. ALBANS, Vt.—Sugarmakers visiting the equipment open houses in Vermont this weekend are encouraged to visit the nearby Vermont Maple Festival, back after a two year absence.
For info click on https://www.vtmaplefestival.org
“We’re doing our best to bring back some of the enjoyment of celebrating the first agricultural crop of the year,” organizers said.
The Vermont Maple Festival will kick off at 12:00 Noon on Friday, April 22 with the annual Maple & Milk toast on the Main Street Stage in St. Albans Vt. [ MORE ]
Bulk price ticks a smidge higher for new crop syrup
Peter Gregg | April 14, 2022
ALSTEAD, N.H.—Big syrup crops in the Northeast and Upper Midwest are tamping down prospects of a dramatically higher bulk price this season.
But there is still an increase.
Packers in the Northeast for the most part will be paying $2.60 per pound for the top grades, not much higher than prices before the season started but significant higher than this time last year.
Prices paid by most packers for field run bulk syrup are $2.60 per pound for Golden Delicious and Amber Rich; $2.50 per pound for Dark Robust; Very Dark Strong is paying $2.20 per pound and processing grades are $1.30.
There is a 20 cent premium attached to all organic syrup.
Sugarmakers with drums of ropy and unfiltered syrup will get 75 cents per pound.
“Big crop,” said Bruce Bascom, of Bascom Maple Farms in Alstead, N.H. and one of the biggest U.S. packers. “Northern half of U.S. did very much better than the southern tier. Most of the tonnage is made in the north.” [ MORE ]
Leader Evaporator to be sold to H20 Innovation
Peter Gregg | April 13, 2022
SWANTON, Vt.—Leader Evaporator Co., the biggest U.S. maple equipment manufacturer, will be sold to H20 Innovation, another big player in the maple industry and a publicly traded company out of Quebec City, Que.
H20 announced in a press release that it has entered into a “binding letter of intent” to buy Leader and its 103,000 sq. ft. factory in Swanton, Vt. by July. Terms of the sale were not announced.
“The acquisition is expected to increase revenues coming from maple equipment and products by 60% to 70% and to expand our manufacturing capabilities to answer the growing demand of the maple industry”, said Frédéric Dugré, President and Chief Executive Officer of H2O Innovation.
Leader Evaporator has 53 dealers and distributors in the U.S. and H20 has nearly 50 including an anchor store in Swanton, just down the street from the Leader headquarters. No word on the fate of that location. [ MORE ]
Quebec's warehouses nearly empty of table grade syrup
Peter Gregg | March 9, 2022
COWANSVILLE, Que.—The reserve of table-grade syrup in Quebec is almost down to zero.
"I think it’s a couple million pounds left,” said David Hall, a sugarmaker from Cowansville, Que. and a board member for the Quebec maple producers federation.
A staggering, back-to-back 20 percent increase in sales and consumer demand over the past two years, combined with a short crop last year in Quebec and the U.S. has led to a situation many did not foresee.
“Is it unnerving? Yes. But there’s not much we can do about it,” Hall said. [ MORE ]
Legendary Vermont sugarmaker shares his maple wisdom
Peter Gregg | February 25, 2022
COLUMBIA CITY, Ind.—Focus to quality.
That was the advice from legendary Vermont sugarmaker Glenn Goodrich, the featured speaker at the recent annual meeting of the Indiana Maple Producers Association in Columbia City.
Goodrich offered folksy humor and helpful pointers, sharing what he has learned growing his dual operation in Cabot, Vt. and Eden, Vt. to upwards of 150,000 taps after starting out on a flat pan and cinder blocks.
“Everything we do is focused to quality,” Goodrich said. “Your customer is sophisticated. Tune up your sugarhouse. Small is ok but make it nice.”
Goodrich pointed out the differences between Vermont and Indiana sugaring that work in the Hoosiers’ favor.
In Northern Vermont, the days just don’t warm up enough to get huge sap runs as they do in Indiana, where sugarmakers can enjoy “3 gallon days,” he said.
[ MORE ]
Many quality defects found in online syrup, say researchers
Peter Gregg | February 24, 2022
MORRISVILLE, Vt.—Many quality defects were found in syrup bought online, Vermont researchers found.
Nearly in one in four samples of dark syrup bought online was off-flavor, according to a study conducted by University of Vermont Extension.
“Everything flows from quality,” said Mark Isselhardt, maple specialist with UVM Extension who conducted the study with colleague Mark Cannella, also of UVM Extension. “You can’t expect consumers to pay a premium and not give them what they are expecting.”
Isselhardt and Cannella bought syrup samples off the internet from various maple states including Vermont, New York, Maine, Ohio and Massachusetts and tested for clarity, density, color and off-flavor.
There were a total of 116 samples of Golden Delicate and 129 samples of Dark Robust. Three samples each were ordered from each producer. [ MORE ]
Maple manufacturers deal with supply issues
Peter Gregg | January 27, 2022
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Insane.
That’s the word that manufacturers of maple equipment and supplies are describing the marketplace as they try to keep up with orders with wildly fluctuating input costs.
Steve Caccamo, president of Next Generation Maple Products of East Syracuse, N.Y. shared with The Maple News just how crazy things have gotten.
Stainless steel, the most critical input for any equipment manufacturer in the maple industry, has seen dramatic shifts in pricing and availability over the past six months, Caccamo said. Nearly quadrupled.
For example, 4x10 sheets of 20 gauge stainless that was selling for $198 last year jumped to $715 per sheet on Oct. 13, Caccamo said.
Prices have since settled to $398 as of early January, but still double the price of last year.
“Some of our equipment has 40 different components and everything has doubled,” he said. “It’s brutal.” [ MORE ]
R/O pre-filters could be the next shortage scare
Peter Gregg | January 11, 2022
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Not time to panic yet but the latest shortage in maple supplies could be R/O pre-filters.
“They’ve been hard to get,” said Sandy Wilcox of Countryside Hardware in DeRuyter, N.Y. who was a featurted vendor at the New York maple conferences this weekend.
“Folks might want to get on to some,” she said.
Wilcox said at her store, one of the biggest suppliers in central New York, the 5 micron, 20-inch prefilters have been easier to find than the 10 micron.
“Those are in low supply or out,” she said.
At Maple Expert Solutions in Henniker, N.H. owner Clayton Christie was hesitant to say there was a shortage just yet.
“I know we are selling them fast and likely won’t have any left soon,” he told The Maple News on Tuesday. [ MORE ]
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