Bad syrup.....from a big company

[red maples]

So I plan on getting touch with a big company out of vermont. Maple Grove I am sure everyone has heard of it. Went out to breakfast this morning with the family and I usually bring my own syrup but I forgot it. So we decided to get the maple syrup they have. Well its Maple Grove Farms US grade A dark amber. In the little portion controlled 45ml glass bottle that we are all familar with. It cost us an extra $1.25 each for it but I have no problem paying the extra money for maple syrup as I know what goes into it. And I don't wanna use Fake.

So I open it up and it just doesn't smell right has a strange odor almost plasticy vinegar/ burt molasses to it. just not right. tasted it....blah just awful. Now the breakfast place we go to is very popular and alot of families with folks from out of town go there etc etc etc. This just put a bad taste in my mouth, no pun intended, I had to pick the corn syrup over the maple grove syrup because it was so bad.

The more I thought about the more troubled I was about it because if you have people from out of town that don't usually get maple syrup and they get this junk, that tasted bad to them do you think we might loose a maple customer to corn crap in a bottle...HECK YES.

It just gives us maple producers a bad name, and especially Vermont. Requardless of where you come from the majority of us put a alot of blood, sweat and tears into our syrup and we sell and serve it with pride!!!

So anyway if I were a bigger producer I would offer them syrup, but I am not, maybe in a few years. How do you compete with the prices of a big compnay like maple grove that can undercut the competetion.

Just discusted this morning. I Did pay for it becasue I didn't want to take away from the restaurant although I did let them know they needed to check it out and possibly get another brand. I did tell them I was a maple producer and that from my experience this syrup was Awful and inedible.

[red maples]

I do like their products. I use their salad dressing I like their stuff because they use maple as the main sweetener. but this was just bad.

[Bruce L]

i don't know anything about this company,being from Canada,but my distasteful experience came from staying in South Burlington,Vermont open house weekend.The hotel I picked had deluxe hot and cold breakfast,so I figured I would get pancakes or waffles with Vermont maple syrup on then.Instead I got waffles with that crappy table syrup,which I threw out and instead settled for good old Raisin Bran.I thought maybe Vermont Maple Producers should chime in to try and get some of the hotel chains to use REAL vermont maple syrup.
Just my 2 cents,Bruce

[delivron]

Some questions:

1. Was the container brand new not opened?
2. If No was it refilled?
3. Did you save the container and product?

Small containers some times don't seal well they can e leak air and the product can go bad.

[Brian]

Sorry guys, I kept the good and sent the rest to Maple Grove, Yes it was that bad, but I am glad they bought it.

[heus]

Any chance someone could have opened it causing it to spoil?

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

well Red Maples thanks for the input but I think you should also call them up and tell them your experience with their product as a consumer and a producer. Don't rely on the restaurant to do it for you

[Homestead Maple]

I have to say that I'm not surprised because I've had syrup that was put up by a big packer different than this one and it was poor, flavor wise, also. The bigger packers that blend so much different syrup together that they buy in, usually end up with a syrup that is far from what is made by most of the people on the trader here. I've worked at a couple sugar houses at fairs and it's interesting to hear people's comments when they are given a taste of good maple syrup.

[red maples]

I did sent them a message on their contact us page. I was firm but nice. I know they are a big packing company that buys from both US and Canada and they buy good and bad syrup and blend it. I haven't heard any reply from my message yet. but its still early we'll see. they maybe looking into it I hope!!!

These bottles all still had the saftey seal band on the lid still intact. and we got 4 of them and they were all not good withe the same nasty arroma and flavor. Even my kids that love my syrup opted for the corn syrup as well. My wife ate it and din't get sick or anything there was no mold or anything growing on them either. just really really bad bad tasting.

I have the bottle sitting right here and gave them the number off it as well. just opened it again and man it stinks!!!

[markcasper]

My inlaws did a bus tour of New England early last month and they picked up a 1.5 ounce bottle that was complements of the hotel they stayed at in Vermont one night. It says "Maplewood", Montpelier, VT. It was very good tasting syrup, sugar crystals started a few days after opening. It said fancy, looked fancy, but had to me a little stronger flavor than that. All in all, it was very good syrup! Too bad to hear about maple grove though.

[batsofbedlam]

We received a phone call out of the blue, with the woman saying that she had 2 containers of Maple Grove syrup and they both smelled bad and she refused to taste it. After a long discussion, she said that she would get it to us.
I am really curious to see what she bought.