Syrup price based on grade

[pamaple]

When I sell my syrup bulk they pay different amounts based on the grade. Does anybody charge different rates when selling to the public? I made light amber this year for the first time and was wondering if people charge more for it because its not as easy to come by and like wise how much do you drop your price for people who request grade B?

[spencer11]

Put the lighter stuff in glass then you can charge more just based on the container, I don't bottle light syrup in plastic it all goes in glass, but I don't charge a different price for a different grade in plastic though

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

fancy to B all the same price.

[vtmapleman]

Like Flat Lander Sugaring - same price for all grades...it costs the same where you are producing Fancy or Grade B.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Like Flat Lander Sugaring - same price for all grades...it costs the same where you are producing Fancy or Grade B.
actually cost more for darker grades. Longer man hours processing the lower percentage sap, more wood consumption, more electricity

[Randy Brutkoski]

I agree rusty. It cost more $ to make the darker stuff. I charge the same from fancy to b. If i had to charge more for a different grade i would charge more for dark.

[shane hickey]

[QUOTE=pamaple;215265]When I sell my syrup bulk they pay different amounts based on the grade. Does anybody charge different rates when selling to the public? I made light amber this year for the first time and was wondering if people charge more for it because its not as easy to come by and like wise how much do you drop your price for people who request grade B?[/QUOT

Selling bulk they change there prices. Thats the way the buyer makes his money darker syrup is easier to make just dont boil every day it will naturally get dark.

[vtmapleman]

I have made Fancy with the sap testing 1.6 and darker grades testing 2.1...which just might be the uniqueness of my sugar bush. In my mind it is not worth the effort to try to determine the difference in production costs - thus I charge the same price for all grades.

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

This covers Fancy through grade B. What are producers doing with darker syrup. Is everyone raising prices for Commercial Syrup that doesn't have an off flavor? With the expected changes to the rules and grading system, won't this be worth as much as B syrup next year, and based on the fact that people sell B and Fancy for the same, won't this mean that good tasting C syrup is worth the same? Typically I have sold this product to Bakeries at a reduced rate. Should I bump the prices up? I'm just wondering with everyone is planning to do with there C syrup this year considering as soon as the rule changes, it will be worth 50% more per gallon.

[markct]

How can you have good tasting commercial syrup??? if its just dark its B grade, if its any color and has an off flavor its C so im not following what your saying.

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

"How can you have good tasting commercial syrup??? if its just dark its B grade, if its any color and has an off flavor its C so im not following what your saying."

not in Vermont, if it's Dark it isn't always Grade B. Is that how your grading system is in CT? Where all Dark good tasting syrup is Grade B?

What I mean by good tasting C syrup is the stuff between Grade B and off flavor syrup. The syrup that is to dark to fit into the B category and still isn't buddy or ropy or other.

With the predicted rule changes this entire category of syrup will no longer be deemed "Commercial Syrup". It will land in the "Very Dark Strong" category along with B grade. From what I can find for information the Very Dark Strong category will be syrup with 0-25% light transmission.

[spencer11]

On the grading kit it says that the color of the sample has to be equal to or lighter than the sample provided, so then if the syrup is darker than the B sample is it comercial even if it doesn't have an off taste? That's my understanding of it at least. I would think that you should be able to sell syrup darker as grade B if it tastes fine instead of selling it as comercial, but that's not what it says on the grade kit

[markct]

as i always understood grade b was darker than such and such percentage light transmission. So if thats not the case why isnt there a c grade sample in my grade kit?

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

Spencer is right, it has to be equal to or lighter than what the grading kit says. i think that confuses a lot of people. For it to be Fancy it must be lighter than or equal to the Fancy sample in the grade kit. Same for Grade B. It must be equal to or lighter than the grade B sample in the kit. There is no C sample in your grading kit because ALL syrup produced that is not lighter than or equal to the grade B in your kit IS commercial grade syrup. So there is a large gap between grade B and the point where syrup becomes something different. Hence the new regulations.

Often times 1/4 of my production falls into this category. I have had to sell my good tasting darker than B syrup wholesale and received the same payment per pound as ropy stuff that made my stomach turn and wouldn't taste unless I had to. It all falls into the C category as it stands now.

[Dill]

Its a Vermont thing. We can sell B in NH in "comsumer" sizes with the only caveat that it doesn't have "off flavors". If it does than Commerical.

[vtmapleman]

Maple Addict - yup you are correct about it being a Vt thing. We can sell syrup less than grade B; however, it must be in 5 gallon containers. The dept of Ag will acknowledge that there is some going out the 'back' doors of sugar houses in smaller containers. The change in grades that has been proposed will allow us to sell smaller quantities, which many of us have customers for.

[maple flats]

i also have in stock some great tasting grade C (darker than B but great taste. I made it 3 yrs ago and I refuse to sell it at bulk price. Thus I've been blending my lighter syrups to make Grade A dark to get the better price. When the new grading system is implemented, I'll be blending "Very Dark" syrup and selling it at the same price as the lighter grades. Right now I have a very good retail trade in B, in fact, the only gallons I sold this past weekend was 5 of B, 4 to one guy and 1 to another, both asked for "that dark, real good syrup". Blending thusly I have used up about 30 gal of my great tasting C, about 70 to go. My C that is not great tasting will go bulk, maybe this spring. Last year I made no C.

[wiam]

Its a Vermont thing. We can sell B in NH in "comsumer" sizes with the only caveat that it doesn't have "off flavors". If it does than Commerical.
I disagree with this about it being a VT thing. We can sell B in retail containers. We can not sell commercial in less than 5 gallon containers.

[Dill]

Sorry I should have added another line to my reply. VT has a cutoff for B to Commerical that the rest of us don't have. Which is what I meant. The rest of us can make really dark syrup with great flavor and sell it at retail. And I agree with a prior comment that this is a major improvement when the new grading system comes through.

[wdchuck]

I'm in favor of the new grading standards too, as I have a good market for grade B. The only problem I see is that it now puts a layer of subjectivity into the grading process. The dishonest or uninformed producer could put some substandard stuff out there, and that hurts us all.

[GeneralStark]

I'm in favor of the new grading standards too, as I have a good market for grade B. The only problem I see is that it now puts a layer of subjectivity into the grading process. The dishonest or uninformed producer could put some substandard stuff out there, and that hurts us all.

I agree, and I think this has been the reason that VT been reluctant to have "darker that B" syrup sold in retail jugs. I have several customers that like darker than b, so I so sell to them in retail jugs after they have tasted it as they know what they are getting, but I generally save most of this stuff for myself, sell it wholesale, or blend it into light invert, light color syrup for making granulated sugar and maple cream.

There is so much subjectivity to taste that I do believe there are folks that sell off-flavored syrup without knowing it. The individual that I buy/sell syrup from/to always tastes everything and he certainly has suggested that some syrup I might have considered ok, has off flavors. This was all dark (C) and was nothing I would consider selling, but I would and do bake with it.