Starting a syrup co-op with my city neighbors???

[jdircksen]

How crazy of an idea is it to think I can get neighbors to bring their sap to me?

I live in the city, and I see very mature maples here and there (say 1-3 trees at the occasional house). I made 4 gallons last year, but I could probably double my taps and not incur much more effort since my RO and evaporator would already be running. I'm thinking I could do the tapping, provide 3.5 gallon buckets with lids (from a local bakery), and run the tubing into the lid. I'd have to instruct them to keep the sap fresh and cold, but maybe we split the syrup (3 buckets of sap (10 gallons) gets them a pint of syrup). I do the processing and bottling (2x 8oz glass bottles = 1 pint). They would have to swap out buckets and drop them off at my house.

Do you think I'd get any takers?

[collinsmapleman2012]

we already do a cooperative type thing for the most part on a larger scale. works pretty well, coordination is the biggest piece to plan, and set expectations up for payment/swap before hand and record and measure everything. set it up so you know youre not losing from it, because youre in it for fuel, electric, and most of all, time.

[Chicopee Sap Shack]

sounds like it would be more of a PITA than its worth. Go knock on your neighbors door with a bottle of syrup in hand and ask if you could tap their trees. Most will say yes if you offer some syrup as trade at the end of the season.

The worst they will do is say no.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Talking with others that have done something similar said things start to go south when sap spoils. When they collect a 5 gallon bucket of sour sap and bring it your way and you won't take it. Peoples feeling get hurt when little Billy "works so hard collecting sap for 5 days and shows up with what already looks like syrup. I know you will set the standards for freshness but you will piss some people off.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I tend to agree with what others are saying. You do the collecting, boiling and most of the work that way you control it all. Give them some syrup for allowing you to use their trees.

[Michael Greer]

I have 300 buckets hanging in our little village on 28 properties. I do all the work and hand out syrup at the end of the season. People are enthusiastic, but most folks are far too busy to actually lend a hand.Their word-of-mouth advertising generates new trees and most of my sales.

[jdircksen]

Thanks for the input. I stuck to my own trees for 2019 but I'm working up an expansion plan for 2020.

[Galena]

It's a wonderful idea and a potentially great way to bring a community together, but I'd listen to those who've already been through the experience. The people I learned to sugar from basically do what others do, get permission, do all the work, hang 100 pails on various properties scattered around their hamlet. They are in control of all the sap collection, processing etc and share the syrup at the end of the season. They've been doing this for some 30 yrs or more now so it's like a local tradition to go down on Sunday when they're boiling and have a good ol jaw-wag...but as usual most people are there just to socialize, only a core group actually and literally do the heavy lifting.

One year I tapped trees on a friend's property. They didn't so much as walk the bush (3 yard trees) and wouldn't rehang buckets that fell off etc. And I kept their sap separate from mine so had twice as much work to do. They didn't lift a finger. At the end of the season when I gave them their syrup, they were all 'Gee that was fun, let's do it again next year!!!' to which I smiled sweetly and replied, 'OK, I'll loan you some pails and spiles and get it set up for you. But you have to do all the work yourselves, collecting the sap and boiling it down.' That sure stopped them in their tracks!

Personally I would not recommend trusting non-sugarers to do something as simple as collect sap and keep it cold - there's no telling what you might end up with, and in a less-than-foodgrade container at that!!! :-)

[fisheatingbagel]

jdircksen,
I'm in the same situation as you. Lots of trees in the neighborhood, but there are lots of yards with only 2 or 3 trees. Yards with 5 or more trees, it's easy to work out an agreement providing some syrup for sap at the end of the season. But yards with few trees, it hardly is worth the effort to go to every house and negotiate an exchange. I've tried advertising on Craigslist, but word of mouth seems to works best. Once you build a reputation as "the sap guy" in the neighborhood, eventually you'll get people contacting you to bring sap.

[Woody77]

I burrow all my trees from my neighbors. I live in a small town full of 150 year old maples. I barter syrup for the use of the trees. There all invited to the sugar bush to check it out and enjoy some of the sweet rewards of there trees. Heck a couple of the owners have quite complaining about all the leaves they have to rake in the fall knowing what those awesom trees give them in the spring. Lol.

[jdircksen]

Woody77 - how much syrup do you give for the sap? And do you put it fancy glass bottles, plastic, or mason jars?

[unclejohn]

I share some concerns with other posters here.... If you do establish a co-op with multiple persons bringing you sap, you will have to measure volumes and sugar content accurately of each sap contribution. I thinks its more trouble than its worth. Just talk to tree owners, and offer them some syrup after end of season, and you control all collection and sap handling. John