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Seems to me as this guy is doing us all a favor by driving the prices up. We can say our syrup is just as organic as his and we are less expensive..
I could see hating the guy if he was selling it for $19.99 a gallon in a fancy smancy glass decanter.
maybe after the people start using more than there 12 ounce bottles they will start googling where they can buy more , get your websites ready boys
Personnally I don't see how selling syrup at $191 per gallon is going to drive the price down, it can only go up at theses prices. I also don't see this guy making a killing at this. He has a lot of over head with a fancy place like that in just the upkeep of the property let alone the sugaring end of things. Downstate labor is very expensive. On another note, I had an interesting call from a Crown Maple employee last winter. He was looking for any "extra sap" we might have and be willing to sell them. they would handle the trucking. I found this interesting because I live about 2 1/2 hours north west of their operation. I explained this to the guy and he didn't care. Obviously I din't have any sap to sell and this guy didn't have a clue what he was talking about. He was just doing what the boss said.
You can say it is organic if you are certified organic. You can't if you aren't certified. The term "organic" is regulated by federal law.Quote:
Originally Posted by ericjeeper
He has the right to do what ever he wants. He is a business man and he has millions or billions to work with. Maybe its more jelousy than anything, as far as selling syrup for that price I guess if you can get it alright good for you. Here is the part I don't like about it. when you charge that much for syrup I don't see it as a a nitch or anything like that your using marketing to fool people that are ignorant to a product. It has become the american way which is sad and marketing scams are what sell products in combinations with attractive displays packaging etc. I personally think that if your getting that much for syrup your taking advantage of people, I just don't think its right. Is there a big market for maple yeah, its huge world wide, we are lucky enough to live in the maple producing area of the world but we still shouldn't take advantage of people by charging that much. just my opinion.
As far as selling your syrup by the gallon for so cheap, well a few things first you really need to stay competative with the surrounding sugarhouses if you have competetion, and competition is good, its alot of hard work as we all know and you should be paid for your hard work. but if your fine with selling syrup for less than its value(again just my opinion) then thats fine too. you have a right to do that too. I am not going to bash you for it. just thinking fairly of you and your competition and you customers. now this is just my opinion. Everyone that know that keeps bees and sells the honey is charging $10 a pound, I just think its too much, So I only charge $8 a pound. could I get $10? I am sure I can I don't wanna bring the market price down its just my opinion. The bees make it not me!!!
In anycase I think in the beginning of Crown maples ventures put a bad taste in alot of people's mouths by rumors of tapping state land in the catskills that was owned privately owned and the owners paying taxes on it couldn't do anything with it because of government friends in low places. grants to get high effiecient maple equipment even though he afford his own. But they since moved the operation and dumped a ton of money into it. I guess you could look at it as a good sound business model and its nice to have money to spend on a multi-million dollar facility, but I know if I were going to a sugarhouse there is just something that is nice to see a wooden sugarhouse with the sweet smell steam rising and coming out of the coupula, unfortunately like everything else related to food shortly we are all going to have to conform to the demands of the industry to be efficent with steam hoods, and the serilization of the white walled food industry. It just looses its romantics when you think about it going in that direction but we all know it will.
this year I raised my prices a bit not much just by $1 for quarts and pints and $2 for 1/2 gallons, I explained to my customers that is was a bad year and costs have gone up a little but as long as I have a more normal season next year I will bring the prices back down to normal and everyone was fine and understood completely.
Oh yeah and what Dr Tim said is true you can't say its organic unless youre certified. but you can say all natural, although all natural and anything else is just feel good marketing words.
Selling syrup for 35$/Gallon is just selling syrup at the bulk price. What's the big deal? Especially here in VT where everyone is or is related to a sugarmaker.
As far as 191$/Gallon, I can do better and often do. You just have to be clever and market correctly.
I don't understand how it can be taking advantage of anyone, obviously if they can pay that for it, they believe it is worth it. As everyone knows there is a crap load of work and investment going into this product we love to make, what is wrong with getting payed a fair wage for making it?
$35.00 a gallon is not bulk price. To sell at $35.00 would give a person $2.00-2.50 more dollars per gallon. Now for a guy that only has 400 taps this might not be worth while. If a guy could sell 1000 gallons this would give him $2000-2500 more dollars in his pocket. I sure could use the extra money and most other people also could.Quote:
Originally Posted by GeneralStark
As far as you making more then $191.00 per gallon I think that is great. I am always excited to hear about people making a lot of money per gallon. I wish you the best.
Spud
Spud, technically that is bulk price.... you are forgetting the cost of the jug. But what people dont take into account is the form of payment..... The stuff we all love bestQuote:
Originally Posted by spud
Technically, you would be getting less then bulk price at 35.00, considering a gallon jug holds much more then a gallon when filled which is closer to 11 and a half pounds or more depending on density. If you are reheating to can you will lose 5 percent or more in that process, extra fuel to heat it, container price, equipment and labor to fill them. Just in the syrup and container you have between 35.50 and 36.00 dollars depending where you buy the container, then add the labor, fuel and equipment in and you are getting close to 37.50 just to break even. Then if something goes wrong and you have to replace it or give the money back you are falling behind fast.Quote:
Originally Posted by spud