2006 retail price changes

[maple flats]

I was wondering what type of price increases everyone was going to have. Do not want the prices stated but just how much they might go up, for example +$.50/ 100ml in plastic, +$1.50 qts plastic, +$3.00 gals in plastic and so forth. I am hoping we can't get in trouble for price fixing if we do not show our exact price. I haven't set mine yet but I do plan on going up, not sure how much yet BUT all input costs rose and we need to at least cover these or we lose all around. Give us your thoughts. I know I am a little higher than some but I always sell out so it can't be too bad.

[mountainvan]

I'm keeping my prices the same this year, mainly because I raised them last year.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

No increase here as I don't do it for the money anyways! :?

[maple flats]

Brandon, you are bad for those of us who want to make some money at this. Yes, it is mostly enjoyable but sometimes a little cash for your efforts gives some enjoyment too.

[DougM]

We have talked about raising prices a bit, as we boil with gas and it has gone from $1.63/gal. last year to $1.85. Last year was our first on gas, and our goal was to sell enough to cover our expenses, which we did plus a little.

Unfortunately we haven't made any syrup yet this season, but we haven't boiled much, either, so I don't know how we'll come out.

[SUGARSMITH]

I am planning on an increase this year. I have always been one of the lower priced around, but I think it was because of lack of confidence. Now that I know I make the worlds best maple syrup, :roll: , like everyone else does. I am raising it to what the market will bear. Yes my costs of production has gone up, and so has the cost of living across the country.( unless you ask the feds who claim it hasnt but conveniently removed the cost of oil products and food from the equation recently.HMMMMM) But I believe tha maple products are still a luxury item that people will pay a premium for. People come out to a sugarhouse for the experience, see it at a roadside stand, specialty food stores, botiques etc. I have never heard anyone say at 9:00 at night "were out of syrup, I need to run to the store."

[fk]

Ive heard people say "We gotta go get some syrup-we're out!" at 9am though! ....just a few times. I aint putting sugar on my corn flakes!! :lol:

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I do need to recoup what I have put into it and with having to move this past year and build a sugarhouse as I had no place to boil and losing use of my dad's tractor in the move also, I need to make $$$ to help payback the lot of $$$ I spent. I just meant, I am not in it to make a profit or get rich. Hopefully in 10 to 15 years, I can show a profit. :lol: :lol:

[Sugarmaker]

This morning over pancakes and last years syrup the wife and I were debating a syrup price increase. 5 years ago when we started, I set our prices just a little higher that others in the area. (new sugarhouse, open houses, selling syrup all year and several other factors along with claiming the syrup and honey as a business for tax purposes)
I know the cost of the jugs is going to increase this year. and we gather along the road and the price of gas sure hasn't gone down. If we did raise them it would be 1 or 2 dollars for each size. To me this sounds like a lot but then maybe I would not have to change again for 5-8 years????
Some one said in a previous comment that they make the best syrup in the world. I agree! and anyone that wants to get in the syrup business to make their own 1 gallon of quality syrup let them go right to it. This syrup making is a food art form. Its as much show and education as it is production and profits, for most of us hobby businesses. We will not be able to do this if we cant support at least the cost of production. I also don't want to short change future syrup makers by giving our product away. Make sure we have a quality food product and we will get a good fair price.
The other way to reduce costs is to get more efficient at production. This forum can help us do that also. And I am always looking at ways to reduce labor or increase the production rate.

Still debating a cost increase in PA.
By the way its cold here today! About 10 degrees.
Regards,
CEC

[mapleman3]

Yes I am increasing. with talking to others in the Ma. Maple association, most have gone up to at least 13 a QT, thats $3 more for me per QT, in helping with the assoc. it's only fair to keep prices comperable, also if you dollars less, folks may wonder WHY you are so cheap.. is there something wrong with the syrup? so I'm going up on all prices, ya can't give it away with the increase of fuel and jug prices and electricity.... I know Mr's Smith was always a great customer but she will understand... I know we're not in it for the money right? yeah right. I'd like to get some $$ this year, this is my money making year, minimum put out this year in cost so Show me the Money!!!

[ibby458]

I'm going up $2/gallon and proportionally less on the smaller sizes. With production costs going up, I can't do it for the old price. I'm still free to give discounts to volume buyers and friends/family. This keeps me in line with the other local producers which reduces animosity to the "new guy" competeing with them for customers.

[maple flats]

I've made my move. I raised the prices for 06. In plastic I went up $.50 pts, $1.00 qts, $1.00 1/2 gal and $2.00 gal. I also went up a similar amount on the items I pack in glass in most cases.

[Ed K]

I hadn't realized that I was undercutting the competition so much, so I'm going up 5 a gal :o .

[Mike]

I used to think 25-26$ a gal was high when the wife bought syrup till I started sugaring 5 yrs ago!!!! We earn every penny we make ......

[mapleman3]

Aint that the truth!!

[maple flats]

And I hope you are not selling it for $26 in consumer sizes. I get $37/gal in plastic and sell out.

[mapleman3]

$40 /gal

[Al]

One neighbor sells for $25.00 a gallon and the other $28.00 a gallon. They put out nice big signs and it sells like hot cakes. What's a guy to do. Even $30.00 is considered expensive at the sugar house. Of course go to the market and pay more.
Take care

[maplehound]

I have been getting $20 per 1/2 gallon and won't put it in gallons. I still am considering going up but haven't decided how much yet.
Ron

[Jim Brown]

We have had two(2) small boils this year,One last saturday and made 5 gallon and one yesterday and made 2 gallon.We charged $36.00 for a gallon last year( packaged in new guart canning jars) or if by the guart$10.00 per quart . We moved 200 gallon last year . We will have to raise some this year because we transport the sap 8 miles from the sugar bush to the evaporator. Our thoughs would be to see what the whoesale is going up to since some of us have to buy syrup to get through the year since we can not produce enought yet.Any other thought?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I don't sell it in anything bigger than quarts and I charge $ 11 per quart and $ 6 per pint. I don't normally give bulk discounts either as I have quite a few people that buy 2 to 3 gallons in quarts and pints at a time. It was $ 13.99 plus sales tax in Kroger the other day. I reorganized as a farm/agriculture, so I don't have to charge any sales tax now, so that will give me a 6% price increase. :D

[Sugarmaker]

Folks,
Planning to raise our prices to $40 per gallon starting March 1 2006. This will be a $2.00 increase. I was convinced to do this while Cheryl and I went out to dinner last night, while setting at the bar waiting for our table. I saw several folks shell out $4.95 for a large mug of draft beer and several others pay $25.00 for a hand full of mixed drinks. I believe or syrup is worth the increase.
Chris

[Jim Brown]

Chris; GREAT POINT !We will increase also!
Jim

[maple flats]

I just read an article in Farming Mag. (a free magizine, with a maple business as their feature article this month) about the price of maple syrup. According to Larry Myott we tend to price our syrup too low and don't take into account the costs involved. For discussion purposes he suggested a price of $39/gal, and based on the work of Everett Willard, formerly of the Vermont Dept of Agriculture a 1/2 gal should be 60% of a gal or $23.40, rounded up to 23.50, qts would be based on 35% of a gal or $13.65, rounded to $14, Pts would be 20% of a gal price= $7.80, rounded to $8, 1/2 pt @ 15% of gal= $5.85, rounded to $6. If in glass add the cost of the glass to these prices. Now I like that man's formula and I orginally set mine in a similar way but went gal$ x 60%=1/2 gal$. 1/2 gal$ x 60%=qt$. qt$ x60%=pt$ and pt$ x 60%=1/2 pt$ and I rounded to multiples of $.25 for each Using either of these formulas all you need do is decide what your gal price will be or whatever your biggest size is to be and do the math from there. Let's not give our product away. We as farmers must learn to price our product for a profit. Those of you with neighbors selling at a give away price stick to your guns. The supplier i use for equipment has a neighbor who sells gal at $4 less than they do, and the neighbor sells much less syrup. Make your operation stand out, keep everything looking top notch and the customers will buy from you. If asked by a customer why your's is more say " they know what their's is worth, we know what our's is worth". That Farming, Journal of Northeast Agriculture is available free by going on line to www.farmingmagazine.com and sign up. This month's feature article is about the Dufresnes family maple operation, Are they members here? Good story. Let's make some money while we have some enjoyment in maple.

[Dave Y]

Hey guys,
I was at a community backyard surgaring demo on Saturday. I was invited to sell my syrup. I was charging $12Qt $8 pt and I was asked why It was so cheap. I had it put in nice state jugs. I get $42. a gal.
you fellas in new england have more syurp ,so you have to be cheaper to sell it. the further south you go the more you can get for it, because it is not as plentiful.

[maplehound]

OK do we realy consider what it cost to make syrup. Here is a list of what a first year sugar maker may encounter as is told by a P. Stransky Equipment Inc. from Ontario Canada.
1. Evaporator 2x4 Hobby Maker------------ $2,100.00
2. Pip, Installation---------------------------------$212.00
3. Chain saw---------------------------------------$249.00
4. Gas, Maintenance for saw----------------------$144.00
5. Four wheel drive pickup---------------------$12,379.00
6. Maintanance for pickup -------------------------$656.00
7. Insurance for pickup ----------------------------$879.00
8. Replace rear window of pickup (wice) ---------$100.00
9. Fine for cutting in Conservation are -----------$500.00
10. Fourteen cases of beer -------------------------$350.00
11. Littering fine--------------------------------------$56.00
12. Tow charge from wreck -------------------------$175.00
13. Over billing from Doctor re: splinter in eye ---$50.00
14 Safty glasses---------------------------------------$29.00
15. Over billing from doctor re: crushed toes--------$75.00
16. Safty Shoes----------------------------------------$80.00
17 New Living room Carpet--------------------------$1,200.00
18. Chimney brush and rods-------------------------$75.00
19. Log splitting Maul----------------------------------$80.00
20. Chiropractor fees re: back------------------------$250.00
21. Log Splitter -----------------------------------------$1,750.00
22. fifteen acre woodlot---------------------------------$15,000.00
23. Taxes on woodlot------------------------------------$900.00
24. Buckets & spiles-------------------------------------$50.00
25. containers with Labels -----------------------------$5.00
26. Divorce settlement----------------------------------$33,698.00

total first year costs ---------------------------------$71,042.50
value of maple syrup sales --------------------------$632.37
Net cost of first year Maple Syrup ------------------$70,410.13


Obviously these figures need updated. Some may not applie to all but there will be other items that will apply.
So what has it cost all you??????????
Ron

[Jay]

Ron,that is a GREAT list!!! LMAO. Jay

[SUGARSMITH]

Classic,

Not too far from the truth either

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

An old excerpt fom the maple digest many moons ago- A friend and me found out about the back window of the truck replacement when we rolled in a 1100 gal. plastic tank into the back of his truck and the rest was history. Tank was rounded enough so it hit his window first then the cab roof and stopped. :(

[sweetwoodmaple]

...one thing missing from the list...TIME.

I would hate to total up the hours....

(maybe that was absorbed under the line for Divorce Settlement) 8O

[ziggy]

Everything else is gong up. So I am going with it. Usually I raise prices every other year, this year is going to be the exception. I raised them last year and I am going up about 5% across the board this year. Don't forget the price of molded sugar (candy), I stopped in the candy store and found the price of chocolate is way higher than maple candy, it used to be the other way around. I think they kept raising thier prices and we didn't.

[treefinder]

you have to raise prices, look at the prices of jugs !! around me jugs went up on price almost .30 a gal. we do it for fun to but you have to draw the line somwhere, if people bring there jug from the year before i give them a break on the jug cost thats fair enough i think.


-------------------------

kevin

4x10 oil fired
1500 on tubing


[/u]

[maple flats]

I recently got a newsletter from the New York State maple Producer's Assoc and in with the newsletter was an invitation to offer some syrup to the assoc for some selected items at 90% of wholesale and they listed the wholesale prices. As i looked thru it i found I was retailing some items at less that the 90% of wholesale price. One example was 250ml glass leaf, wholesale $7.95 and 90% @~$7.15. My retail WAS $7.00. I immediately went thru my retail list and updated it. I thought I was keeping good track of my prices but this shook up the strategy for pricing. Many items went up to reflect this. That is my 2nd increase this year. I have no immediate real competition and had used the formula for price relation of sizes that was in an article I read by Larry Myatt(?), retired coop ext. expert in maple and well known in maple circles throughout the northeast maple industry. What i failed to do is watch the wholesale market price structure. No wonder I never make a profit, I am giving it away for below wholesale and my volumn is too small to compensate. Now if I tell my customers it was below wholesale they would not believe me, just like the sales pitches I see on the tube claiming the same that I don't believe. SO, my prices now are up above wholesale and i will now be making $ big time. :D Now I can pay back my savings for the equipment i bought :lol:

[markcasper]

All what you say is true, but if you had several hundred gallons to market and you were going to do retail, there would be some work there to get markets to consume it all. One must not charge too much and risk scaring people away. People don't NEED syrup like they need gas or electricity, milk, meat and flour.

[maple flats]

BUT if I can sell it wholesale and then take a break or get doing something else why should i keep a lower price to tend the sales for less $? It doesn't make sence to me. That wholesale price says to me that a higher retail is willingly paid often enough or the wholesale market buyers would not buy product. We farmers tend to cut off our own profit potential only too often even when we have some control over the price. This is nothing like milk prices where farmers are slaves to a loss unless they do some specialty to differentiate them from the rest. We have control. Our biggest enemy in proper price structure is our selves and the neighbor who sells for a real low ball price and says if anyone matches it he will drop his price. We all enjoy making syrup AND getting customers who rave about how good it is, but if we keep pricing to lose money we will need to get second real jobs to support our hobby. For most of us we are really trying to end up with $s left over after we pay for our expenses whether we are looking to make a lot or just a little we still want a profit and if not you should stop getting bigger, it IS JUST A HOBBY.

[maplehound]

I sell most of my syrup through diffrent fruit markets and bulk food stores. The fruit markets are all on a comision basis. Where they only pay for it after it has sold. All my markets tell me they don't care what I sell it to them for as long as they can mark it up as they see fit. This goes for the stores that buy it up front as well. I work for a grocery store and this year wil be putting it in there for the first time. The Grocery manager told me that the price doesn't scare him, If the people wnat it then they will pay for it. Now I do live in an area whre there isn't alot of local competion and am sure that helps but I get a prime price for my syup. Gallons sell for $22 and Quarts at $14. I also sell in alot of glass. Then I discount 10% for wholesale.
As far as the glass sales go. Keep changing the type you offer. Mnay people buy it for the bottle and something diffrent will almost always bring on more sales.
Ron

[maple flats]

Wow, 22 for gallons is less than I have heard in many years but the 14 for qts is higher than most. I sell my gal @ $37 and qts @ $12 Some are getting 40 for gal and a few are even higher than that. I am not going to tell you that you are losing money at your gal price but i sure would be if I sold mine for that low. Some time just sit down and add up all of your costs of making syrup. Remember everything including taxes and or tree rent, depreciation, fuel, wood or oil, containers, supplies, sugarhouse, evap, tractor dep (or atv or truck) equipment wear and tear, taps, tubing, etc etc etc. When you get done you will find the $22/gal is way too low. However if you typoed and meant 1/2 gal then you are doing OK.

[maplehound]

Yea I'm sorry I meant 1/2 Gallon. I never bottle in Gallons. Won't discount further for them.
Ron

[ibby458]

My syrup is priced a little higher than some, a little lower than others. I arrived at that price by taking the wholesale price for bulk syrup, adding in the cost of the jug and a reasonable fee for canning it. I try to keep it as low as possible without cutting my (or any one else's) throat. When a friend or neighbor needs a gallon or so for a customer after they run out, I give it to them for the cost of the jug and wholesale cost of the syrup. My labor canning it is a gift to them. They'd do the same for me when the situation is reversed.

I'm content with the wholesale price for bulk syrup, and am tempted to sell it all in barrells. But - if I do that, when the bulk price drops, I'm, left with no customer base.

[markcasper]

mapleflats, I will not disagree with anything you said. You made some real good points! Being that my dad and brother milk cows and I help, I know what you are talking about, BUT you can't just ship the cows when the price goes down and then get back in when the price goes up. And milk is very perishable, unlike other commodities.

I often argue with my dad about some of these points. It never ceases to amaze me how some farmers get rid of the cows and then turn to cash cropping. Look where the corn and bean price is ,,,,,2.00 a bushel for corn and yet people will borrow money and risk it all to keep on doing it. I like farming, but at least with syrup there seems to be an uptrend in prices and there always has. I have never lowered my price of syrup and other than commercial syrup, the bulk price has pretty much increased slowly for many years. And hopefully the days of commercial being in the gutter are over. Mark

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I don't think a good idea to raise prices twice in the same year. Wouldn't be fair to have someone buy some syrup and then come back a couple weeks later and have to pay a higher price. I know this happens at retail stores all the time. The biggest key is if demand is higher than supply then raise. Get a big customer base first is the key. I retail all my syrup and the 60 gallons I had for retail this year is all but gone. People don't need syrup like they need food from the grocery store.

[maple flats]

If your syrup is all but gone and you made at least 50% as much gty as a avg. year you are too cheap. I have never had any syrup carryover but I do try to have some for the christmas market. Often i run out by early fall but if I have it I can get a good sales figure selling syrup in glass to gift shoppers. In the past I have only sold at the sugarhouse and at work where I have about 50 people to try to sell to. I get orders during all seasons except usually little or non in summer since i do not work summers except doing my own 500 things that keep me busy. Christmas sales are a good market unless you sell out this soon. Now I suppose you can buy bulk and pack it for more sales but i have chosen not to so far. When I said I raised my prices for the second time this year, it was not across the board but rather only on 2 items I had not priced correctly based on the wholesale price I was offered. I had my 100ml and 250ml maple leaf bottles too low. For example on the 250 I had it for $7.00/bottle and the wholesale for same item in case lots is $7.95/bottle, I raised that item to $9.00, ant the 100ml went up $.50, all other sizes and all plastics remained at the price I set at the very start of the season.

[markcasper]

I am sure that some of you know about the ag statictics data that comes out in June every year. Why is it that the further east you go, mainly the New England states, the price gets higher? And not a few dollars either. According to the data, Maine is similar to Wis., but there is way more syrup sold bulk there, which lowers the price substantially.

So why is it that you men out east can charge 40- 50 dollars a gallon and here no quips, along with 13-15 dollar quarts? I don't get it....I know if I raised my prices from say 32 dollars a gallon, to 42, I'd soon be in the slurry store.

I took a display of syrup to work and did not sell any,,,,what am I doing wrong? Mark

[maple flats]

I am not sure what you do wrong and might be nothing is done wrong. What i do is put a sample marked "sample, try some" and leave little sample cups for them. Beside that I have a few order forms with the prices and every item I try to carry. From this I get orders filled out and I fill them each day. Early in the season I get several orders a week and after that orders slow down. Last week I only sold 1 item. However I keep it there all year. I check the sample often because it is seldom refrigerated. I rotate sample from med to dark and back every few weeks' I only use small containers for samples and don't even fill them. For example my sample now is med amber in an 8oz salad dressing type bottle that was about 1/2 full when I put it out maybe 3 weeks ago. This past Fri I added some sample cups for the first time this year after my initial set up in March. I have about 10-15 little sample cups in a baggie after filling it, if they ever look like someone dropped them I toss all and put new ones. The sample bottle or jug has not ever spoiled but I check just in case and have a new set up in my truck if needed. During the busier part of the season I carrey a small asst of my product in the truck to fill orders but when the weather gets hot I stop that and fill order the next day. This method has worked for me. I have always sold out before the christmas season has ended and then i put a sign to such and take orders. When I am getting low I take an inventory and fill it in on an order sheet for them to see. This often prompts a few orders before I sell out. As long as I still have bulk syrup I never put the inventory up.
As far as prices, I maintain that those of you who seem to be a slave to very low prices have caused it your self or your fellow producers in your area have. You certainly could never go from $30 or 32 up to 37-42 in one jump BUT if you go up steadily EVERY year you will see the demand remain realitively unchanged. You are right, they do not NEED real syrup, but many will never go back to that store imitation stuff because they appreciate quality. As for raising my price a second time during the year, I did not try to sneak it in, I announced it and told why it happened (both at work and at the sugarhouse). The next day i sold syrup and the purchasers said they fully understood and didn't want me to sell what I have to wholesallers because they would not be able to get it then.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I am at $ 11 @ quart and $ 6 @ pint and I want to sell out asap. Ideally, I would rather have a banner crop and take until the following season to sell it out, but you know how that goes. :lol: :lol: That is well below Walmart and Kroger and a much higher quality and thicker syrup than they sell. I don't discount quanity unless it would be 5 gallon or more and don't sell in any container bigger than a quart as I couldn't hardly give it away in larger containers. :? I sell about 2.5 to 3 quarts for every one pint. :?

[Sugarmaker]

Syrup and honey sales are at or near last year even with the increase in some of our prices. Sold 4 (1/2 gallons) yesterday plus a quarts and 12 lb of honey. I canned 14 gallons of syrup last week end to re-stock the shelves and we are continuing to build our customer base. Additional advertising would probably help. I see comments about 10% discount for Wholesale sales. We have been giving 20%. ( 10% discount sounds better!) This allows the retailer to make a little extra. I have found that every place I sell to has a different customer base and some Maple and Honey product sells well and other places it does not move. also depends on the season and how much traffic they have. Lots of different approaches to this marketing thing.

I also have been having samples of all the grades of syrup at the sugar house for customers to taste. I think this is a good thing and people like free taste samples like at Sam's Club.

We will stay with our prices for several years.
Gal. = $40.00
1/2 = $24.00
QT = $14.00
PT. = $ 8.00
1/2 Pt = $5.00
250 ML = $8.50
100 ML = $5.25
50 ML = $4.00
maple candy 4.0 oz. $2.00
Cream 1 lb $8.00
Maple peanuts 4.0 oz. $2.00
Maple Mustard 8 oz $4.00

Chris

[Russ]

We raised our prices across the board this year, as we did last year. I agree that it is hard to make a big increase in one year, but smaller increases year after year are not as noticeable. Our prices are lower and our larger size prices don't roll off as fast as others listed in this thread.

1/2 pint = $4.00
3/4 pint = $5.00 (I saw some WI syrup for $6 for this size in my local store yestereday.)
pint = $6.00 ($7.19 a pint in my local grocery store)
quart = $10

We don't bottle in anything larger than quarts, due to low sales of large containers in the past, but we give discounts on larger quantities of quarts:

4-11 quarts = $9.50/quart ($38/gallon)
12+ quarts = $9.00/quart ($36/gallon)

We try to bottle enough to have syrup on hand through the end of October, which is when the farmers' markets usually end. We usually have enough left over to handle the Christmas time requests.

At work this year, I made a few pounds of maple-glazed pecans and left them out in the breakrooms with a card referring folks to our online bulletin board that had the prices and pecan recipe. Sales were good, I showed them something different to use maple syrup for, and people are still commenting on the pecans.

[maplehound]

Russ,
How about passing along that recipe.

[Sugarmaker]

Pecans sound great!