To sell or not to sell

[adk1]

Curious to know how many of you started out as a hobby producer and then started selling syrup? I dont plan on selling any since I wont be able to make more than 10-15 gallons a year on my own property. Tell your stories!

[christopherh]

I helped my father make syrup in a kettle when I was young, open fire and very smokey syrup. Then last year, being bored after hunting season, I had decided to get a Half Pint and hang some buckets. I did pretty well, making 6 gallons on that thing. Then I got the bug and set up a nice operation this year. It's going to be a great way to retire I thought, even though I'm a ways away from that. I have some great help to, friends and family all help, and we all love this. The one boy who helps, keeps his 4-H show steers in my barn. His father passed away about a year ago and used to make syrup. So he been hanging around the sugarhouse a lot. Thats good because he has remembered a lot about what his father taught him, and I can always use the help and tips. This year I have several small shops I want to sell at as well as bulk. It's a great way of life! Chris

[adk1]

I helped my father make syrup in a kettle when I was young, open fire and very smokey syrup. Then last year, being bored after hunting season, I had decided to get a Half Pint and hang some buckets. I did pretty well, making 6 gallons on that thing. Then I got the bug and set up a nice operation this year. It's going to be a great way to retire I thought, even though I'm a ways away from that. I have some great help to, friends and family all help, and we all love this. The one boy who helps, keeps his 4-H show steers in my barn. His father passed away about a year ago and used to make syrup. So he been hanging around the sugarhouse a lot. Thats good because he has remembered a lot about what his father taught him, and I can always use the help and tips. This year I have several small shops I want to sell at as well as bulk. It's a great way of life! Chris

Thats a great story. thanks for sharing. I guess it really depends on if you hae the property full of maples or not. I guess you can always aske neighbors etc. I am sure we will get alot of comments about that too.

[Dennis H.]

I don't think the amount of syrup that you make should decide if you should sell or not.

The 2nd year that I made syrup I ended the seaon with 10 gals, way more than I could ever use myself. I gave syrup to family as gift at Christmas.
Then I started to get friends of the family asking if I had any syrup.

Than came last year. I sold all the syrup that I made and ended up making a little to help offset the cost for me to make the syrup.

This year I am going full bore with it. I have had tons of people ask if and when I will have syrup.

I in no way plan on making any kind of profit, I am trying to offset my costs alittle for a hobby that I found. Just think this can be one hobby that you can make some money with, unlike most other hobbies.

[adk1]

I don't think the amount of syrup that you make should decide if you should sell or not.

The 2nd year that I made syrup I ended the seaon with 10 gals, way more than I could ever use myself. I gave syrup to family as gift at Christmas.
Then I started to get friends of the family asking if I had any syrup.

Than came last year. I sold all the syrup that I made and ended up making a little to help offset the cost for me to make the syrup.

This year I am going full bore with it. I have had tons of people ask if and when I will have syrup.

I in no way plan on making any kind of profit, I am trying to offset my costs alittle for a hobby that I found. Just think this can be one hobby that you can make some money with, unlike most other hobbies.

yeah, I can understand that. I could probably sell some to folks up and down my road. Think I am going to buy the 1/2 gallon jugs the first year to start.

[SSFLLC]

I would go with pints and quarts for that amount. That way your spreading it out alittle bit for future expansion and marketing.

[SilverLeaf]

Started out as a hobby for me too, after I moved my family from the city back to the farm where I grew up. We got into gardening and selling at the local farmers' market. The recent surge in the emphasis on "local" goods has really benefited the farmers' market, although it's necessitated folks to diversify a bit and find their niche, since there's more folks selling. Living as I do on the prairie, there isn't a lot of syruping in these parts, so on a whim I brought about 3 gallons to the market a couple years ago, and promptly sold out in my second week. And thus was born my expanded hobby/small business venture! And a great way to satisfy that "itch" I get each March to get outside and get that boil goin'.

I don't have the trees around here to be a big producer, and even if I did, I wouldn't want to. I know how many taps I want to grow to, and really I just have two goals:
1) to be able to give folks in my area true "local" syrup (so they don't have to go buy that inferior Wisconsin stuff... sorry to any cheeseheads reading this, I guess Superbowl-envy just got the better of me! :lol: ) Seriously, though, it is incredibly satisfying to have customers all excited that they can get the maple gold right here and not have to make special arrangements through some far-off relative somewhere.
2) this is going to be how we make happy memories as a family and how my kids learn the value of a hard-earned dollar. Once my big equipment is paid off, we should be able to be just enough in the black each year to make it worthwhile for them and so this will be my kids' way of learning how to be responsible stewards, of both the land and their finances.

This is a great thread. Looking forward to hearing others' stories!

[steve J]

I figure I am going to make 30 to 35 gallons this year I will keep 5 for family and employees and then sell the rest thru my business( besides flowers we do fruit and gourmet baskets), Front Porch Forum (community forum on internet).

[Tweegs]

We started with a single tap when we lived in the city.

We both grew up country, and when we could take no more of city life, we hunted around for a place with acreage and lots of maples to retire on.

The first year at our new place we put out 95 taps and boiled on a block arch. We made about 14 gallons, giving away much of it to friends, family, and co-workers.

Last year, our second, was a bust. Even though we had 175 taps out, we only made 3 gallons, again giving some of it away.

This year we are hoping for more syrup and have a ready made market with our co-workers. We have a total of 10 gallons sold already, before we’ve even lit the first fire.

This summer we are planning on putting up a licensed shack. We have a friend that owns a cider mill begging us to put some up in there, we need to be licensed first, however.

Along with the syrup, we are talking about, researching, exploring, putting out a couple of bee hives. A licensed kitchen would help us move that product as well.

[Jeff E]

Started with 10 trees tapped, hauling sap to a friend's who had a flat pan I could use to make syrup. 1.5 gallons!!!
The next year, I had a 2x4 GBH evaporator, tapped 60 trees. 2 years later I had a little sugar shack.
The next year I bought an old 2x8, so had the 2x8 and 2x4 going. Doing about 45 gph. Tapped 350 trees for a few years, and wore myself out!
Told the wife I have to go back to 100 trees and have fun, or go 'big' so the equipment pays for itself. We went for it.
It is now a side business, and year round effort. Selling retail, roadside and bulk. Every year we add efficiencies, and more taps via buying sap. It has been a challange and a blast.:D
The hard thing seems to be coming to the point of saying 'thats enough'.

[BobU]

When we started out, on a small flat pan on some concrete blocks, never had any thoughts of selling any syrup.
Now That I am totally addicted to this hobby/sport/past time/life style/relaxation therapy/????? :lol:, and have grown larger every year, the thought of selling some syrup does pop into my brain from time to time. Just enough sales to bring down the out of pocket costs a little each year, but not so many sales to make syrupin into a job.
When my 3 sons were younger they would help out in the woods, then sell some of the syrup, usually enough to buy a rifle or shot gun (used).
Can't wait for "season" to get here. Tap well !!!!

[PapaSmiff]

I've got my 10-year old grandson hooked on sugaring. He's a natural salesman and is eager for us to get enough taps to sell some syrup, candy, and coated nuts.

This summer, I'm hoping to build a 2x6 evaporator. I'm also hoping to find enough trees to tap to keep the 2x6 busy. I would definately like to sell maple products out of my home - just to get enough to pay for fuel, bottles, and filters. It would also give my grandson an outlet for honing his sales skills. Also, I'm hoping that if I can make it a self-sustaining hobby, my wife won't keep rolling her eyes everytime I talk about it.

[Brad W Wi]

About 10-15 years ago I got the bug. At first I started out with 4 pails and a turkey fryer. I figured I'd make enough for the 3 of us. Then I started adding a few pails each year. I picked up a 24x40 homade pan on a barrel. I boiled up to 50 pails on it. Alot was given as gifts and sold a little. I was looking at retirement (been retired 5 years and I'm 60 now) and decided to go a bit bigger. I sold the old pan and bought a new 2x8 Dallaire and bought more pails (400 total) Put up a 24x40 sugar shack on a 40 I own and the rest is history. I still give some away as gifts to friends. I sell the rest. It pays the taxes on the property and pays for itself. Am I going to get rich?? No way! Am I having fun? You bet. I've met many people while doing this, people will stop by just to see my operation or buy and I love talking to them. It's great. Friends do come to help at times but my wife and I do it all ourselves for the most part. She loves it and we have a great time. I could go on but you get the idea of it.

[adk1]

Well, I am up to 170 taps now....Depending on how it goes, Idont think that I can consume it all! Will be interesting to see how much I can make. But Iam thinking about how I can sell some. I have a brother who is a professor in North Carolina..Curious to know if he would be able to sell some down there around the college. I bet he could. He might be toting 20 half gallon jugs down there with him next summer!

[3rdgen.maple]

ADK a little tidbit for you to consider. If you go into next season and do not have a customer base established and how much for certain you can sell and in what containers etc, go ahead and bulk pack it in 5 gallon containers at the very least. If you cannot get rid of it retail you can sell it bulk very easily and the smallest container excepted is 5 gallons. If you find you need to crack one open and repack so be it. Atleast your not wasting small containers and dumping it into a 5 gallon container to take to the packer later on when you cant find enough buyers retail.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

ADK1 trust me you will sell it, co-workers, friends, networking. your talking like 42 gal, thats if you dont burn the pan virgim year out

[Ausable]

OK - OK ---- This is not Farmville on Facebook -- Lets not worry about getting rid of Maple Syrup that we don't have. First --- We still have to be here next March --- Then We have to Tap Trees --- ETC..etc..etc.. Kinda Fun talking about selling pretend Maple Syrup though.......lol.....

[adk1]

yeah, I started out figuring on making 15 gallons. Wasent thinking much about getting rid of that. I woud keep 5 gallons and give the rest away as gifts etc. But the potentia lof making 40+/- gallons has me thinking. this is new terratory for me in my "planning". I know that a local producer that I was talking to this season said he would buy anything that I made, after testing it of course. But I also realize that if I did want to make some $ selling retail is the way to go. I am sure that I will be able to sell it.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

hell I didnt even try to sell my syrup and I am almost out. A couple FB posts during sugaring BAM sold. I need to go bigger! maybe an RO pump out high concentrate tap 2000 and make some syrup on a 2x6:D

[adk1]

never thought of FB. See, I learn stuff on this site every single time I am on this..Great idea FL!

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

never thought of FB. See, I learn stuff on this site every single time I am on this..Great idea FL!

I trade out to my Spine Doc. the wife sells it to other nurses at the hospital, NETWORKING

[Bucket Head]

Flat Lander is right. You will be surprised by what "word of mouth" advertising alone will do for you. At first I too wondered how sales would be. A happy customer will tell a few folks about your syrup, then each one of them will get some and tell a few people they know, and so on and so on. You'll see. Sales might be a litte slow at first, but next thing you know you'll be saying things like, "I will have to bottle more syrup- I'm almost out!", or "I gotta order jugs!".

Maple syrup just about sells itself. Earlier tonight the phone rang and the woman on the other end says "I bought some of your syrup a while ago and I need some more, and my son wants some too. Do you have any?". A repeat customer and a new customer just like that!

Steve

[Ausable]

OK - OK ---- This is not Farmville on Facebook -- Lets not worry about getting rid of Maple Syrup that we don't have. First --- We still have to be here next March --- Then We have to Tap Trees --- ETC..etc..etc.. Kinda Fun talking about selling pretend Maple Syrup though.......lol.....

Hmmmmmmmmm! Now there is a whole gang of them PLANNING - lol - Thought maybe I could get them to cool it a little on selling in the Futures Market - Maple Syrup made next year........Maybe. But no - they are on a roll.... Guess my previous post worked out to be "Reverse Physocology" --- Keep Sugarin --- Oh Yeh --- and PLANNING........LOL...thats what keeps it fun .. Mike

[adk1]

Hmmmmmmmmm! Now there is a whole gang of them PLANNING - lol - Thought maybe I could get them to cool it a little on selling in the Futures Market - Maple Syrup made next year........Maybe. But no - they are on a roll.... Guess my previous post worked out to be "Reverse Physocology" --- Keep Sugarin --- Oh Yeh --- and PLANNING........LOL...thats what keeps it fun .. Mike

My planning will pay off for me in the end. I am not an all in kind of person until I have things figured out, then I am. You will see.

[Father & Son]

I started out for something for my son and I to do together. It has worked out well so far. Word of mouth has made it possible to sell everything we make every year. .

Jim

[red maples]

I just thought it would be fun....Ha WHAT DID I KNOW!!!! :lol: I saw a thing on TV. don't remember what it was on maybe the news or something. So I looked around the yard and I had some red maples. picked up a few pamphlets and started reading to find out more about it. I bought Backyard sugarin' by rick mann. read it about 3 times to make sure I was doin' it right. built a little arch outta concrete blocks got a roasting pan and the rest of the stuff tapped the trees and couldn't stay away from the windows with the binoculars watch the drips!!!

that year I went out to the maple guys place for maple weekend and was blown away said I wanna do this. Talked to the wife said it would be a bit of an investment and it will take forever to make my money back...but she understood(somehow don't really know how) So I built the shed which is now the sugar house got an evap. and put up tubing and went from 25 taps to 250 taps and a vacuum in 1 season.

Now I have a pretty good customer base that is growning all the time.

I am looking forward to my third season learning more every year. Looking to add on only about 25 taps for 2012, add onto the sugar house for the 2013 season. and be up around 400 taps with and an RO by the 2013(hopefully if not then the 2014 season. and hopefully over 500 taps by 2015.(sounds far away but its less than 4 years awaynow)

The thing I am looking forward to the most is the kids are getting alittle older will be able to help me more and more as long as they want to.

this is all pending the earth survives it past may 21, 2011 and dec. 2012 of course!!! :rolleyes:

[adk1]

You sound just like me Red, doing for a family hobby while the kids are young. But I am starting out pretty much as large as I can on my own property up front. But I also have know that I wanted to make syrup since I was about 6 or 7 helping out my brother in laws operation way back then. It was fascinating to me then and still is today!

[cvmaple]

I started last year and only finished with enough to share with my 3 sisters. This year being a much better year, we had about 20 litres left over. They sold quite easily and it was nice to offset some of last year's expense. I now am entertaining thoughts of a slightly larger evaporator because I know people will be asking next year and I don't want to disappoint them if I have another mediocre year. Not to hijack the thread ADK but is the NA maple syrup producers manual worth the investment.

[adk1]

Heck yeah it is worth it. I still read sections of it every night and you wouldnt beleive what you pick up after you have already read it three times cover to cover. I will always use it as a reference guide.

[Dennis H.]

This year will be the 2nd year that I am selling syrup. I made 28 1/2 gals.

Last year I sold about 4 gals and I only had a little over 4 gals made.

When I started this whole "hobby" I had no intent on selling syrup. I just wanted to make some from the trees I had here at the house, well the family heard about it then friends of the family heard about it then people at my work started to hear about me making syrup.
Once I sold out last year I had people asking me to remember them for the next season. So I started alist. I have already sold off about 1/3 of my supply this year. And this is all word of mouth. Now I am going to put up fliers at work and other local places to help get my name out there.

I was very shocked to see how much interest there is in local syrup.

So in just 4 years I have gone from just 2 gals for my own use to how can I make enough to pay for this hobby.

[Brad W Wi]

Started out with 4 pails to make enough for my family. Long story short 400 pails now. We sell all we can make. We could tap 1000 trees on our property, but then it would be a job. Right nowit loads of fun.

[adk1]

well I am definatly selling now, if I make what I should potentially, I will sell around 30 gallons per year and keep 10 for family and myself. After viewing some of the threads and the NAMPM, I will bottle in half gallon, quart and pints. Thinking the rest that I keep for myself and family I will use mason jars.

[adamsmithnny]

Started last year with 42 buckets with taps and a plastic 55 gal. drum costing a total of $80. Tapped all of the trees around the village and had a friend boil for me. Then it hit me. The bug! I realized the sugar content was running between 3.5 and 3.7 percent. Started the season with 3.0%. Made 42 gal of grade Fancy syrup total! Now I am constructing a 20 x 20 sugar house so I can boil myself. So far on building expenses- $19.00 for box of screws! You wouldn't believe all of the good building materials people give you! And another past producer gave me another 35 buckets and his old vat! Probably gonna finish the sugar house this year and have to wait on an evap for another year. But as the ol' saying goes... Good things come to those who wait. Still got my eye out for that evap though!

[maple flats]

After several years of making 1-2 gal and then none for a long time, I just wanted something to do in late winter so in 2003 I bought a used half pint. With that I started with about 27 taps and as the season progressed until I finally had 70 taps and then a good run came. I couldn't keep up, was boiling about 19 hrs a day. I was hooked. That summer I cut some hemlocks and sent them to a sawmill to cut for my 16 x 24' sugarhouse. The next year I sold the half pint and bought a 12 yr old 2x6, soldered SS (labeled lead free) and I added to 130 taps. I used the 2x6 for 3 years getting up to 425 taps and again I was boiling 19-22 hrs a day so then I bought a 3x8, also lead free. Next I added more taps each year until I hit 710 in 2011. I have now added tubing for a total of about 1400 taps for 2012. I also have an RO ready to pick up next Saturday and the RO will go in a new addition that will have cellar storage under it for syrup. I will grow enough to need a bigger RO in another year so I will either sell the 250 I just ordered or will add a second to run 2 , maybe #1 to 8% and #2 to 14 or 16%. When the 3x8 doesn't handle the concentrate I plan to go Max pans and maybe even a steam away. No plans at this point to go bigger than the 3x8, just to max it, maybe???

[adk1]

wow flats, that is progressive to say the least. Are all these taps on your own property? I ahve only been concentrating what can be on gravity right behind the house. up top where it flattens I ahve more maples, scattered though. I own 50 acres total. Would have to have vac to tap up there though!

[Fred Henderson]

I am 70 now and having learn the syrup making art when I was 17 I would give it a go. The new house was done and I would be going into retirement soon (9 years ago). I started with a flat pan on cement blocks outside. Made 4-1/2 gals the first year then the wife wanted to do more so I made my first SS three section flat pan with preheater, hood and arch. But with 300 taps and 11 hours of boiling was to much. Then I bought new a 3x8 amd made my own preheater and hood. Now we were doing 400 and evaporating 90 gals an hour. Last season everyone including me said we have all had enough fun so I put my equipment up for sale. As of now the only thing that is gone is the evap and 100 buckets,200 spouts. I got tubing tools and fitting, I may just wait one more year before deciding to sell anymore equipment.

[Red-bellied Woodpecker]

Last year was my first year making it on my own. I made and sold 12gal and all was spoken for with in 1.5weeks and I made $600 off of it...I spent $350 to get started so I was +$250. Not a lot but was a a start and learned a lot. Last spring I boiled on top of a wood burner under a quick made roof and was only getting a little over a gal of syrup a day with 18hr boil.

Now the spring of 2012 I will have a sugar shack that will cost nothing to build this fall as we already have everything we need from years of my dad collecting building material (his hobby). Will have a good pan this year that will cost me $550 and will get me around 12-13gal of syrup on a 18hr day. I have my figures based on its not going to be a great year and at that I should make around 130gal of syrup in 2012. I already have 10gal ordered from people who bought from me last year and 25gal ordered from a small store out west who sold 5 gal for me last year (worked out there the past 2 summers and will bring their order to them next Aug when I'm going out there to hunt)...just talked to them a few weeks back and they said they already have over half of the 25gal spoken for. With that said I should have a profit of around $5,000 from the spring of 2012 and maybe more if it turns out to be a good year.

Now with my line of work I'm normally not working during late Feb-April and I'm looking to keep growing and see if I cant make enough doing this maple syrup thing to make it my job during that time of year. No I know I wont get rich but if I can get up to making $7000-$8000 a yr on average I would be pleased. Even after all the work last year it was a blast and I guess I cant call it work.

[Greenwich Maple Man]

After several years of making 1-2 gal and then none for a long time, I just wanted something to do in late winter so in 2003 I bought a used half pint. With that I started with about 27 taps and as the season progressed until I finally had 70 taps and then a good run came. I couldn't keep up, was boiling about 19 hrs a day. I was hooked. That summer I cut some hemlocks and sent them to a sawmill to cut for my 16 x 24' sugarhouse. The next year I sold the half pint and bought a 12 yr old 2x6, soldered SS (labeled lead free) and I added to 130 taps. I used the 2x6 for 3 years getting up to 425 taps and again I was boiling 19-22 hrs a day so then I bought a 3x8, also lead free. Next I added more taps each year until I hit 710 in 2011. I have now added tubing for a total of about 1400 taps for 2012. I also have an RO ready to pick up next Saturday and the RO will go in a new addition that will have cellar storage under it for syrup. I will grow enough to need a bigger RO in another year so I will either sell the 250 I just ordered or will add a second to run 2 , maybe #1 to 8% and #2 to 14 or 16%. When the 3x8 doesn't handle the concentrate I plan to go Max pans and maybe even a steam away. No plans at this point to go bigger than the 3x8, just to max it, maybe???


You sound about my size. My evaporater is a 2 by 8 but has the max pan so we probebly are boiling around the same gph. Looking at the same RO and want to grow to more taps on vac.Find that sugaring is profitable and enjoy doing it.

[3rdgen.maple]

Last year was my first year making it on my own. I made and sold 12gal and all was spoken for with in 1.5weeks and I made $600 off of it...I spent $350 to get started so I was +$250. Not a lot but was a a start and learned a lot. Last spring I boiled on top of a wood burner under a quick made roof and was only getting a little over a gal of syrup a day with 18hr boil.

Now the spring of 2012 I will have a sugar shack that will cost nothing to build this fall as we already have everything we need from years of my dad collecting building material (his hobby). Will have a good pan this year that will cost me $550 and will get me around 12-13gal of syrup on a 18hr day. I have my figures based on its not going to be a great year and at that I should make around 130gal of syrup in 2012. I already have 10gal ordered from people who bought from me last year and 25gal ordered from a small store out west who sold 5 gal for me last year (worked out there the past 2 summers and will bring their order to them next Aug when I'm going out there to hunt)...just talked to them a few weeks back and they said they already have over half of the 25gal spoken for. With that said I should have a profit of around $5,000 from the spring of 2012 and maybe more if it turns out to be a good year.

Now with my line of work I'm normally not working during late Feb-April and I'm looking to keep growing and see if I cant make enough doing this maple syrup thing to make it my job during that time of year. No I know I wont get rich but if I can get up to making $7000-$8000 a yr on average I would be pleased. Even after all the work last year it was a blast and I guess I cant call it work.

Okay so we have heard your plans now tell us what evaporator and size now many taps, vac or gravity? Details man details.

[boondocker]

It started as a joke between my brother and i after him and i got tangled up in a web of sap lines on a mountain side in western maine while we where backcountry snowmobiling.{ yes we fixed what we broke and found the owners, and they where to drunk to care}. him and i made a bet on the way home that one could make more syrup than the other...........and it starts!!!! i lost by the way, i made a pint and he made a quart. And thats when i deciced to go for it, every year i keep getting a little bigger. i started out 5 years ago with 12 taps and im up to 500 this year and every year i sell out of syrup. i set up at farmers markets, facebook and word of mouth. people just cant get enough. i get a lot of requests for sugar candy but i havent figured out that art yet, but im workin on it. I remember collecting gallon milk jugs with my grandfather on snow shoes up in greenville me. in snow 5-6 ft deep and my grandmother boiling it down on top of the wood stove. man that smell you just never forget. It seems like its all i think about, where can i improve, where else can i find some trees, where else can i sell it. i know i will never make a million doing this but it sure does put a smile on my face seeing that first draw off, and you meet so many nice people from all over the place. and if you are still thinking of selling, set up shop in new jersey, they will buy all that you can make. i sold at least 15 gal. to people in NJ. this year. i know this is an old post but just wanted to chime in......

[adk1]

I hear you there. I already have my connection. My older brother lives in North Carolina. He is a professor at East Carolina State University. He has been spreading the word around to his Dr. fellows that I will be making syrup. I will pretty much be able to sell 100% of what I make right there. I will just need to get my brother to come up during the summer and not waiting until Thanskgiving! However, 90% of the folks he has been talking to have never had real maple syrup!

[Starting Small]

Started with 10 trees tapped, hauling sap to a friend's who had a flat pan I could use to make syrup. 1.5 gallons!!!
The next year, I had a 2x4 GBH evaporator, tapped 60 trees. 2 years later I had a little sugar shack.
The next year I bought an old 2x8, so had the 2x8 and 2x4 going. Doing about 45 gph. Tapped 350 trees for a few years, and wore myself out!
Told the wife I have to go back to 100 trees and have fun, or go 'big' so the equipment pays for itself. We went for it.
It is now a side business, and year round effort. Selling retail, roadside and bulk. Every year we add efficiencies, and more taps via buying sap. It has been a challange and a blast.:D
The hard thing seems to be coming to the point of saying 'thats enough'.
Jeff-What year did you start with those 10 trees?

[Jeff E]

2002 was the start....Seems like a lifetime ago!

[Shawn]

We started it as a hobby during mud season with three of us. Had a barrel stove and fifty taps, then when I was lucky enough to retire four years ago built the new sugar house on my land as this was where the trees are. Put gravity pipe line up and have put more up to reduce buckets, but still have buckets in use. I guess we could sell our syrup but now with four of us with family and friends etc we separate it up between the four of us and give it away. Its fun but a lot of work for me being the main person for doing the sugar wood etc etc. Spending the money for supplies but the other three also help on this and give one way or another. Long nights short on sleep for all of us but still fun and on the weekends to fill the sugar house up with friends and family is worth it and the grand kids helping to collect and looking forward to coming to Poppas sugar house is worth it. Only 59 as of today and looking forward and ready to go in two months I hope. In the end, hand it down to son and grand kids and walk out of the sugar house at night beat and ready for bed, but knowing its fun and gives that peace of mind and satisfaction.:cool:

[maple flats]

I started in 03, started the season with 28 taps, ended with 70 taps and made 10.5 gal on a half pint on my patio, with a vender's tent roof over it. I sold about half. Been selling ever since.
You don't need to be big to sell, just be sure to set aside your personal stock and sell the rest. I would not pack in half gal jugs at lower production numbers. By far my biggest sale size is qts and I don't normally sell may pints until people are ordering for christmas gifts. Likely 80% of my pint sales are in Nov and Dec., but then all other sizes sell well then too. If I were ordering the jugs for next season,at your size, I think I'd get 6 qts for each pint and I'd pack nothing else. In fact, look at our sponsor, The Maple Guys, it looks like they may not pack gallons at all, their site only has 1/2pt thru 1/2 gal in jugs.

[adk1]

That is all that I have bottled so far are quarts. Last year I made 50 or so gallons..that's allot of filling through my coffee urn

[maple flats]

That's part of the "fun"!!!

[SWEETER CREATIONS]

I started 42 years ago with a 2x3 flat pan in my dads driveway 13 3 pound coffee cans n ow I have owned 4 evaporators have 1200 taps 900 on vacuum 100 on gravity 200 on buckets,wouldn't change a thing have 6 boys to do the muscle work and "old man" gets to sit back and make cream and candy .Couldn't do it without them all ,wife that's a mapleholic and gets the whip out when needed. Lots of fun , met many a people and sell 90% of our product retail.Enjoy your maple heritage as if you were a first generation producer watch them go because there is NO whining its when are we going to start tapping? Lots of hard work but family always comes first at SWEETER CREATIONS and when people visit I believe they see just that.

[Jmsmithy]

I started in 03, started the season with 28 taps, ended with 70 taps and made 10.5 gal on a half pint on my patio, with a vender's tent roof over it. I sold about half. Been selling ever since.
You don't need to be big to sell, just be sure to set aside your personal stock and sell the rest. I would not pack in half gal jugs at lower production numbers. By far my biggest sale size is qts and I don't normally sell may pints until people are ordering for christmas gifts. Likely 80% of my pint sales are in Nov and Dec., but then all other sizes sell well then too. If I were ordering the jugs for next season,at your size, I think I'd get 6 qts for each pint and I'd pack nothing else. In fact, look at our sponsor, The Maple Guys, it looks like they may not pack gallons at all, their site only has 1/2pt thru 1/2 gal in jugs.
Hey Dave

Thanks for all the great info and help this weekend at Verona. It was great to finally meet you (and your Grandson)!!
I agree doesn't make too much sense to bottle bigger vessels (1/2 and full gallons) when you haven't made a lot. Do you bottle smaller, sample type sizes like the little 50/100ml "cabins"?
John