What is Maple Syrup?
Maple syrup was first discovered over 200 years ago when the first settlers in Canada discovered that the sap of maple trees had a sweet flavour. The native Canadians developed a special technique to draw the sap from the tree called ‘tapping’.
“At Pure Maple, our syrup is still created using the traditional, manual tapping process which can only take place during the six week maple harvesting season. We work with a cooperative in South East Quebec, Canada who have years of experience producing and innovating maple products.
Like us, they also have a ‘no compromise’ attitude when it comes to the quality of their syrup and the environment that they operate in.”
What makes a co-op unique is that unlike other businesses, they’re not run by investors or distant shareholders, but by the members themselves. This keeps the producers close to the heart of the business, giving everyone a voice and fair share of the profits.
The co-op consists of nearly 2000 members and has an impressive list of certifications to ensure food safety and guarantee quality for our Pure Maple customers.
How is Maple Syrup produced?
The maple sap harvest season typically runs from March to April, lasting about four to six weeks. As a temperature warms up and with snow and ice melt, the maple tree draws up the water.
Gradually as a temperature warms up in the day this causes the water to filter down the tree, resulting in sweet maple sap that can be harvested.
This sap is collected through a tubing system that runs along, connecting several trees to larger tubing that delivers maple sap from the sugar bush to a storage tank in the Sugar Shack where it is heated and filtered.
Once inside the Sugar Shack this sap is boiled in the evaporator which is a shallow open pan over a heat source. As the maple sap reduces down it becomes more concentrated and sweeter transforming it into pure and natural maple syrup that we love.
Remarkably it takes 40 litres of maple sap to produce one litre of maple syrup.
Our maple syrup producers are not only passionate about producing the best quality maple syrup, but also committed to the sustainability in the production of their products.
They take great care to ensure that the maple trees are tapped carefully, following strict regulations, making certain that the trees stay healthy.
Overall, the collection and production of maple syrup is a long-standing tradition that will carry on as a heart-warming legacy producing nature’s sweetness for all to enjoy.
Our maple syrup is A Grade BRC, SQF Level 3 and Kosher compliant.
