Two Questions

[talahi maple products]

It's my 1st time going to try to sell product this year, Guessing maybe 80 gallons. My question right now is I can't decide what size containers I should buy. 80 1 gals? 160 1/2 gals? 40 gals & 80 1/2 gals? other? or should I purchase 5 gal containers & only can up when a certain size runs out?
I don't have freezer space to store product.

2nd Question. Can a pre heater be made out of PVC? and be just as effective? or does Copper have some properties that absorbs heat much better? Thanks in advance.

[DrTimPerkins]

2nd Question. Can a pre heater be made out of PVC? and be just as effective? or does Copper have some properties that absorbs heat much better? Thanks in advance.

Copper has much better heat transfer properties. PVC pipe can soften and cause joints to fail under those conditions.

[tuckermtn]

quarts are my most popular size, except around x-mas when I sell a lot of pints. get bulk storage (5 gals soda kegs, plastic, etc) and only jug enough for a few months- then jug more when you run out of sizes.

[talahi maple products]

Thanks for the answers, Them soda containers sound good I,ll try to find some.

[Beweller]

You might be able to use CPVC for a preheater in the steam hood. It is rated at 100 psi at 180 F.

Before I used it I would put a piece in boiling water and see how soft it became.

Regardless, it is much more flexible than, say, copper and you would need to be careful about supporting it.

[mapleack]

Copper or stainless transfers heat way way better than plastic. A plastic preheater would be a waste of time.

[Russell Lampron]

Buy a case of each of the containers and can up a selection of sizes when you first start canning. Store the remainder in 5 gallon or larger containers and replenish the smaller sizes as they sell out. For a smaller operation 5 gallon containers are a nice size for bulk storage. Plan on canning the whole container when you open it. Quarts are also my most popular size followed closely by 1/2 gallons. Gallons and pints also sell well and I don't have much of a demand for 1/2 pints.

[tuckermtn]

Russ- same- not much demand for 1/2 pints. around the holidays a few with folks giving gifts to kids teachers, stocking stuffers, etc...

[kiegscustoms]

I found a lot of people like to buy 2 "1/2" gallon containers instead of 1 1 gallon because it fits in the fridge better and they don't have to open all of their syrup at once. Along with everyone else, the quarts seem to fly off the shelf. I retail packed everything this year and when I ran out of certain sizes/ grades I had to open the retail packaging and re size / re pack. Bulk is your friend.

[Maplewalnut]

My advice to you is be flexible and offer a variety of options to your market until you get preferences dialed in. Plastic, glass, ornate glass offer it all. With that said you may find changes year to year.
Quarts were a big seller for us previously but top sellers this year are 1/2 pints and gallons both ends of the spectrum. Two groups of people, one group doesnt want to spend much on syrup (week to week, maybe month to month) but the other group is looking at it on a cost per basis and buying a larger size which is cheaper in the long run. Also depnds on your selling venue, farmers markets tend to sell smaller sizes for us however if someone is making a special trip to your sugarhouse, they are on a mission for syrup and will typically buy a larger size.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I bottle 100% of mine in quarts and pints, I can't hardly give any other size container away and more money too in smaller containers. About 85 to 90 percent of mine is sold in quarts which is most poplar in my area.

[maple flats]

I sell in half pint, Pt, Qt, Half gal and gal. All sell, but qts are the most popular. Everytime I run out of gal someone wants a gal. One year I tried not filling gal but requests changed my mind. I may eliminate the half pint when I use up my stock but I will keep the rest. I have given 2 halves at gal price, but jug cost means I made less on the syrup. I only try to keep 1 or 2 gal each grade at a time.