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Thread: Bottling Prices

  1. #1
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    Default Bottling Prices

    Is it just me or are syrup jug prices quite a bit higher this year? I bought a case of pt jugs for $120 last year and this year the same jug, from the same store is $175? Quarts were $144 and now they're $205 per case? Did I get one heck of a deal last year?

  2. #2
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    Apr 2016
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    Mapleton Twp, SW Ontario
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    Quote Originally Posted by TuckerMike View Post
    Is it just me or are syrup jug prices quite a bit higher this year? I bought a case of pt jugs for $120 last year and this year the same jug, from the same store is $175? Quarts were $144 and now they're $205 per case? Did I get one heck of a deal last year?
    Not sure if you are talking about glass or plastic.... But right now, North America is in a plastic shortage... That may be the reason for the price hike.. Any of our suppliers of plastic products, at work, have been giving us price increases, and suggesting that lead times may increase drastically due to shortage of raw material...

    Plastic primarily comes from petroleum, and they are suggesting that the shortage is tied to the devastation in Texas...

  3. #3
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    Yes, I am talking about plastic jugs. I heard there was a shortage, but didn't think it would equate to a 30% increase in price. Supply and demand I guess. I just wonder if & how it will affect syrup pricing this season as our cost to produce the product just jumped significantly.

  4. #4
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    Oct 2006
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    Garrettsville,Ohio
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    jugs are based on oil. thanks to joe fuel is up 39 1/2% in less than 2 months. cant wait to see where it stops. just another trickle down.

    also sugarhill is so far behind, others have been piled on with orders. supply and demand drove all of them up especially since glass is short too.

    sugarhill is 11 months out, ampack 3 months and cdl 4 months. i ordered a semi load of glass(all same type) in november for february, might come in this week.........
    Last edited by fred; 03-09-2021 at 07:45 AM.
    Fred Ahrens
    330-206-1606
    Richards Ohio Maple Equipment
    Ohio CDL sales rep
    LaPierre Dealer
    H&M maple fabricator Dealer
    Service Tech/repair for all brands and electronics

    don't take life too serious, nobody gets out alive anyways!

  5. #5
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    Feb 2016
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    Peru, Maine
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    Yes, not hearing good things from CDL up here either. Everyone is on a waiting list for plastic jugs in quarts and pints. Am being told CDL jugs are still coming but that Ampack is months out as fred mentioned.
    305 taps on 2 Shurflo's, 31 taps on 3/16" and 229 taps on gravity. 565 in all
    Mountain Maple S3 controller for 145 of the vacuum taps
    2x6 Darveau Mystique Oil Fired Evaporator w/ Smoky Lake Simplicity Auto Draw
    Wesfab 7” filter press

  6. #6
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    Oct 2006
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    Garrettsville,Ohio
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    yes CDL is coming but they were down longer than expected for redesign. new orders are 4 months out but placed orders are moving out daily
    Fred Ahrens
    330-206-1606
    Richards Ohio Maple Equipment
    Ohio CDL sales rep
    LaPierre Dealer
    H&M maple fabricator Dealer
    Service Tech/repair for all brands and electronics

    don't take life too serious, nobody gets out alive anyways!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
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    Try a different vendor, some might still be selling last year stock at the old prices, others might have updated to this years prices which will be considerably higher. A lot of the increase (but not all) is because lots of oil refineries were shut down, plastic for making the jugs is from processing crude oil. Additionally crude prices are way up too.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  8. #8
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    Oneida NY
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    I've resisted raising my syrup prices for 8 years. However this recent huge increase in jug prices and bottle prices has forced me to raise my retail prices across the board. Of course, while jugs and bottles cost more, several other things have also gone up in the last 8 years, but 2020 and 2021 seem the worst.
    Suggestion for other producers, review your prices. Be sure to try to look at all of your costs, not just the jug and bottle costs. Figure in the filters (or filter aid) the jugs, bottles, and everything right down to the labels you put on the containers. Add everything up, then decide what you need to get to make more than what you would get if you flipped burgers at McDonald's. You have invested lots of hard earned money to build a sugarhouse, buy an expensive evaporator, all of the plumbing, the head tank, the sap tanks, the vacuum pump(s), the sap pumps, the releaser, the filter press, the finisher if you use one, the draw off (auto draw or valves) thermometers, lights, heat, fuel etc., etc, etc. You have a huge investment, not to mention drills, taps, tubing, tubing tools, ATV's snowmobiles, snow shoes and on and on. How about the truck(s) you use? Try as you can to add all of these, then set your price, but don't try to get rich in just one season. Selling syrup requires you to balance costs and compare them to "what the market will bear" for retail and wholesale prices.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  9. #9
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    Mar 2013
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    Thetford, VT
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    We were at our dealer last month getting some supplies and I noticed their number of jugs was lower than normal. With all the other shortages going on I asked about availability. We bought some plastic and glass bottles.

    I was told there is a shortage on both plastic and glass bottles for the next six months or so. I figured I would pick up what we normally get at the end of the season with the unknown ahead (plus they were having a sale so the price would be the same minus the difference in cost due to oil prices).

    Mike

    PS I am starting to hear through some sources Mason type jars are getting ready to hit the shelves (my local ACE stores are getting some Kerr products in) soon.
    Tapping since 1985 (four generations back to early to mid 1900s). 200-250 taps on buckets and then tubing in the mid 90s. 2013- 275 taps w/sap puller 25 gal. 2014-295 taps w/sap puller 55 ga. (re-tapped to vacuum theory) 2015-330 taps full vac. 65 gal, 2016-400 taps 105 gal, 2017-400 taps 95 gal. 2018-additional 800' mainline and maybe 400 new taps for a total near 800 taps. 2x6 Leader WSE (last year on it) supported by a 250 gph RO.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
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    Parish, NY
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    Quote Originally Posted by VT_K9 View Post

    Mike

    PS I am starting to hear through some sources Mason type jars are getting ready to hit the shelves (my local ACE stores are getting some Kerr products in) soon.

    We actually thought about switching to Mason jars as we can get quarts for just over $1 each. The problem with that is we'd have to come up with all the "required labeling" that is already printed on the plastic jugs AND find a place to put that sticker on the mason jar.

    I agree with Dave....we need to add up all of our costs and make sure we're getting fair market value for our product. There's a LOT of producers in my area that seem to be running cut-throat operations trying to corner the market with cheap pricing. I'm just not willing to sell a product, that takes me hours to produce, for less that what it is actually worth. I'm not looking to get rich off this adventure by any means...but I can't see giving it away for peanuts either.

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