BRESLAU 鈥� 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have mud, you鈥檙e not making maple syrup,鈥� says Waterloo 色控传媒Maple Syrup Producers鈥� Association (WWMSPA) president Kevin Snyder.
Luckily for syrup lovers, this winter has provided just enough for a good season.听
In Ontario, maple syrup is produced commercially wherever maples are found.听
With a production level of close to a million litres per year, Ontario is the second largest producer of maple syrup in the country next to Quebec.听
With March here, maple syrup producers are beginning their first taps of the season, which typically lasts between four to five weeks, spanning from the end of February to the beginning of April.听
To celebrate the beginning of the syrup process, Breslau-based Snyder Heritage Farms hosted a tree tapping ceremony last week, inviting enthusiasts, WWMSPA members and those who want to learn.听
鈥淲e have a little over 100 members,鈥� Snyder told the Advertiser.听
Members follow practices laid out in a best practices manual, which sets environmentally responsible standards to produce high-quality maple products.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 fellowship today,鈥� he said referring to the ceremony on Feb. 28.
鈥淚t鈥檚 producers talking about what they are going to do for the season and the things that are coming up.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 looking like a normal, good season,鈥� he explained.
鈥淭he amount of snow on the ground is good because that snow relates into water, and maple sap is 98% water.鈥�听
Having water in the roots is imperative when trying to get sap out of the trees.听
Temperature also plays a big part in the production process.听
According to association officials, daytime highs sitting at plus-five degrees and nights at negative five show the best results.
Snyder has been in the industry for majority of his life, and is a fifth generation in the industry.听
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know any difference 鈥� what you do in the springtime is make maple syrup,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of my farming operation.鈥�听
It takes up to 40 litres of maple sap to produce one litre of syrup, according to the association.听
Kevin Snyder, president of the Waterloo 色控传媒Maple Syrup Producers鈥� Association, educated guests about the upcoming maple syrup season at a Feb. 28 event. Photo by Georgia York
Local producer
Andrew McNamara, owner of Belwood-based Setting North Maple Syrup, started his sticky journey as a hobby.听
鈥淲hen I moved to Belwood seven years ago, I had 30 [maple] trees at the back of my property,鈥� he said.听
The production of syrup came easy to McNamara as he had spent his childhood in the outdoors.听
鈥淚t was a natural continuation of Canadian heritage and strong Canadian pride,鈥� he said.听
After a couple years of tapping, he expanded his capacity to 70 trees.
McNamara鈥檚 hobby quickly turned into a business as he jumped from 70 to 400 taps.听
He noted, he got 鈥渉ooked鈥� when visiting a WWMSPA member鈥檚 farm, and witnessed what one can truly do with maple trees.听
He now has 3,000 taps.听
鈥淢ost trees have one tap in them but maybe 15 per cent have two,鈥� McNamara explained.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a good season because it鈥檚 very cold听and the next couple of days are going to be warm.鈥�
The WWMSPA is a 鈥済reat resource鈥� for the region and is what got him to the 鈥渘ext stage鈥� in his business.听
He sells most of his products online at settingnorth.com, and will have a farm store open for customers in the summer.听
Producer of听the year
The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival chair, far left, and vice chair awarded Jessice and Andrew Sallans of Maple Tap Farm the annual Producer of the Year Award. The pair was presented at the Snyder Acres first tree tapping ceremony on Feb. 28. From left: Festival chair Matt Jessop, vice chair Marc McInerney, Andrew and Jennifer Sallans. Photo by Georgia York
Members from the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival attended the ceremony to award the annual maple syrup Producer of the Year Award.听
鈥淲e hold a maple syrup grading that takes place about two months before the festival 鈥� this [award] is quite an honour,鈥� festival chair Matt Jessop told guests.听
Jennifer and Andrew Sallans of Maple Tap Farms won the award for the fourth time.听
鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe we got the call again this year, that鈥檚 awesome,鈥� Jennifer said. 鈥淲e are just thrilled.鈥�
Those interested in learning more about maple syrup can visit the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers鈥� Association website at or visit .
