Marketing Syrup as Reverse Osmosis or Pipeline Free

[GeneralStark]

Our first two years our syrup was pretty rustic and dark. Probably because of the long batch boils and all the ashes that fell into the pan while boiling. Filtered everything out and had some very dark and smokey tasting syrup. People loved it so much that last year and this year all of our product has been sold before we even made any syrup. This years syrup is much more professional and lighter, not as smokey tasting. I am wondering if some customers are going to be disappointed by our non commercial grade product. I think it is important to remember (in this industry and most others) that our customers do not have the same knowledge and therefor the same perspective as the people producing the product. It is the same with the timberframe homes/barns I build. Aesthetic quality issues that would really displease me (sloppy joinery, poor quality timber, etc.), most customers are never even aware of. With that in mind I think misleading people by overemphasizing information that is mostly opinion, or even inaccurate, is unethical. Good honest dealings may not make you rich but it's still the best practice.

I agree. Spouting one's opinion, or inaccurate information as fact in an effort to undercut others' efforts is unethical. Using marketing schemes that are common with corporate entities also undermines the integrity of the maple industry. Shouldn't we all be striving to make the best product possible so that demand will grow and more syrup can be made?

Whether or not you feel that RO affects syrup flavor, and I happen to believe it can in some cases, that is not the point I was trying to raise in the original post. I just don't understand why you would focus your marketing on what you don't do, instead of what you do to make an excellent product.

[GeneralStark]

Here is a link to the PDF that discusses RO performance and effect.

http://www.centreacer.qc.ca/uploaded...ons/108_en.pdf

Just to clarify, this study is comparing the performance of different membranes. The "taste" study was done by comparing syrup made from different concentrates produced using different membranes. They were not comparing syrup made from RO concentrate to syrup made from raw sap.

[spud]

I have come across a few local producers here marketing their syrup as "produced without reverse osmosis, pipeline, or vacuum" and I am wondering if there are producers on the trader that do this. Does anyone market their syrup as four-wheeler, pickup truck, or tractor free?

If you do, why have you chosen this marketing technique and do you think it is working for you? Are there customers out there demanding this "type" of syrup? Does this really matter?

I understand that there are people in the industry that believe that ro affects the flavor, and that vacuum seems cruel or unusual punishment for the tree ( but will still hang four buckets on a tree), but I am trying to wrap my head around this marketing technique.

It seems to me that producing a good quality, excellent tasting syrup should be the major priority for any producer, and by focusing on what you don't do, you are missing something. I also think that it is bad for the industry on the whole to be suggesting that certain production techniques are better or worse that others. Why not just focus on making your product stand out for its quality and flavor and not by trying to undercut folks that produce good quality products using modern technology?

The guy posting this ad is a member of Maple Trader and his name is (Sweet Creation). Although I think his ad is silly he really is not doing any different then most company's trying to sell their products. A lot of ad's have some form of lie in them building up their product while trashing someones else's. His sales pitch will capture a small group of yuppy type people that will buy it based on what he is saying. We live in a country that is made up of lying people and lying businesses and it appears to be fully acceptable by most all Americans. I think the only people that could get angry at this person's maple syrup ad's are those that have never lied themselves ( and there are none). My point is we the people have done this to ourselves. Unless WE are willing to change our way's who are we to ask others to change their's?

Spud

[jmayerl]

So no members are listed as "sweet creation"

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

What I say to people is that every batch is different, every producer is different in technique, but the finished product is usually the same. Isn't that true? I am a raw sap boiling fool, but not by choice. The things that distinguishes one producers syrup vs another is the method of production, the location, types and size of trees, collection methods, filtering process and boiling technique, etc.. This is true, yes? If yes, how do we "standardize" the marketing of this product to all be the same. Is it to squeeze out small producers to eliminate imperfections in processing?

I do not agree with old fashioned being better and an Artisan product being better. That an Artisan's product is for some reason worth more because they have an inefficient operation and have no choice but to boil raw sap, or use buckets, burn wood or whatever makes it "artisan". I mean the same people marketing as old-fashioned artisan wood fired are probably using 4 galvanized buckets on the trees and Orange home depot buckets for transport.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that we all do this differently, but have the same finished result. Just like the wine industry. They use different grapes, with a different process in different locations to generate a similar, but distinguished product.

What we need to do as an industry is to set the standards and all try to adhere to them when marketing. My stab at the standards; DO NOT cut down the competition. DO highlight/promote your process and product.

[happy thoughts]

It's called marketing and maple is no different from any other product or industry. The best ad presentation or spin wins it. We haven't gotten to the point of hiring Victoria Secret models yet, but someone will think of it sooner or later.

[Oddmott]

Man, what an awesome and interesting (to me anyways) thread!

I'm definitely no syrup making genius, being pretty new to running my own bush. But I am a seasoned marketing vet and gotta say, I hear some whining/crying into corn flakes here

I actually enjoy ALL the marketing efforts I see different syrup producers employ. In fact, I'm currently working with 2 different Ontario producers to help them bring their marketing & advertising efforts from Cs up to A+s. And guess what? Each is taking a completely different tact or approach.

The beautiful thing - for folks in my line of work - is that maple syrup producers CAN'T rely on the "let my syrup flavour/quality do the talking" approach, because from year to year (no matter how modern or efficient your setup is) the flavours and quality provided by your bush can change. So a customer that loved your syrup 3 years ago, may be quite disappointed in the batch they buy this year.

This is when creative marketing takes over. If you have customers who have a connection to history and tradition and you still hang buckets and collect by horse drawn sleigh and evaporate over flaming oak, then absolutely you're going to promote those aspects of your operation in your marketing. You'd be an absolute idiot not to.

If you've invested tens of thousands into all the latest and greatest technology to provide the clearest, lightest, nearly flavourless syrup money can buy, then you promote those aspects to gain all the customers interested in those aspects you can.

It's not insulting or harmful to your fellow producers, it's simply a matter of speaking to customers and telling the right ones what they want to hear. A basic business principle.

[Oddmott]

It's called marketing and maple is no different from any other product or industry. The best ad presentation or spin wins it. We haven't gotten to the point of hiring Victoria Secret models yet, but someone will think of it sooner or later.

Considering women make the vast majority of syrup purchasing decisions... I think you'd have better luck borrowing from the firefighter fundraising "men & their hoses" calendars approach.

Crosses over to maple syrup producers and their tubes quite well, don't you think?

[happy thoughts]

Considering women make the vast majority of syrup purchasing decisions... I think you'd have better luck borrowing from the firefighter fundraising "men & their hoses" calendars approach.

Crosses over to maple syrup producers and their tubes quite well, don't you think?

LOL It's funny you said that because I was thinking the same thing as I posted that. Being of the female persuasion I was thinking of hiring the Chippendales for my promotion. But firefighter's will work, too

[Snowy Pass Maple]

What we need to do as an industry is to set the standards and all try to adhere to them when marketing. My stab at the standards; DO NOT cut down the competition. DO highlight/promote your process and product.

Interesting discussion...

I agree w/above - and I think the question here is when do you cross from simply highlighting and promoting your process and why you choose do it, to innuendo or clear statements suggesting it is a better process and other processes are inferior in what is produced.

For example, I wouldn't take offense to the following:

RO producer - We use reverse osmosis to help lower our energy footprint.
All boiling producer - We only boil our sap over a wood fire as we aim to follow 100-year old traditional methods of production.

I think both the above are well accepted facts that could explain why someone made a personal choice in how they produce. We should all agree RO lowers energy input any way you measure it, and RO (I'm pretty sure) didn't exist 100 years ago, and wood is certainly traditional to that era.

Contrast with the following that I would find crossing a line into much harder to substantiate opinions -

RO producer - We use reverse osmosis and a hermetically sealed tubing system to both minimize sap boiling that degrades the product quality and produce the purest product available.
Traditional producer - We only boil over a wood fire and are RO and tubing-free to get the most authentic flavor possible

While these points are still sometimes argued, I think there are enough scientific studies that show up to moderate Brix levels, there is no taste difference even to professionals in a correctly executed process, and I think it's also clear that boiling producers can make excellent quality light syrup by following specific best practices.

It seems the point of contention is at what point that promotion of your chosen process goes to far.

As others note, the marketplace will ultimately decide, and hopefully as more people get exposed to syrup, they will learn to seek out smaller producers with their own unique character.