2019 New York State Maple Tour

The 2019 New York State Maple Tour will be July 12-14, Friday through Sunday, hosted by the Western NY Maple Producers Association and centered at the Grange Building on the Erie County Fairground in Hamburg NY. Maple operations in Erie and Wyoming County will be visited. Descriptions of many of the sites to be visited are listed below.

Saturday Tour

Weber’s Maple Products

Dean Weber owns and operates this 8 year old maple operation in West Falls, NY.  The business started out as a seasonal landscape and garden center in 2003, but a hobby maple operation was tacked on in 2013 with just 105 taps.  It has since grown from a small hobby to a 6,000 tap operation which has provided their part-time winter employees opportunity for full-time work.

The sugarbush has been on tubing and vacuum since the beginning.  This year they made about 1,600 gallons, with a 0.27 gallon per tap average, all from sap with only 1.1% sugar content.  They practice a little woodlot management to overcome the challenge of slow growing trees. Their syrup is processed through a 1000 gph RO and a 3x12 oil-fired evaporator fitted with homemade hoods.  They sell their syrup and candy at the Garden Center and various farmers markets, and also sell wholesale to restaurants.

Janora Farms

Janora Farms is owned and operated by Joe and Meghan Janora. They both grew up producing maple syrup and have carried on that tradition for the last 24 years. They have grown their business from that valued upbringing and have raised their own family to have the same experience. The business is built around family and a whole lot of hard work.

Their current operation includes 6,000 taps on a vacuum tubing system. Tubing is washed with pure water. There is a total of 13,000 gallons of sap storage capacity. They process their syrup with a two post RO and a 6x16 wood-fired evaporator. Fire wood is handled using a wood processer. They average 2,400 gallons of production per year which is sold retail direct to customers and restaurants and also sold wholesale. They sell hand-made maple confections.

Jakes Greenhouse and Country Market

Jakes is a year round country market business that also includes a 2700 tap maple operation. Owner Jake Miller runs the business with help from Rachel, Sawyer, Dave,

Richard and friends. His collection system utilizes a mix of vacuum with 2300 taps, 300 taps on 3/16 gravity lines and 100 buckets. Remote pump houses and sap ladders are part of the tubing system. Tubing is washed using a back pack sprayer with a stubby fitting on the wand. The processing system includes an RO and preheater feeding into a 3x10 oil-fired cross flow Leader evaporator. A unique feature of this operation is a mobile evaporator that allows for other uses of the pole barn during the off-season.

Syrup is packaged in glass and plastic and sold retail, along with maple confections that they purchase from other producers. They also sell syrup wholesale to local businesses that incorporate maple into their coffee shop recipes. Started participation in Maple Weekend in 2018.

Ploetz’s Maple Syrup

Ploetz’s is a growing maple business in Springville, NY owned by Ryan and Jen Ploetz with help from other family members. With planned expansion from 5500 taps to 8500 taps for 2019, this sugarbush has solved the challenge of a flat woodlot through the use of modified dairy vacuum pumps and sap ladders. Sap is also gathered with through the use of mobile tanks on trucks and tractors.

In the sugarhouse the Ploetz’s employ two RO units, and a 4x11 oil fired rig with Steam Away. They produced 2,000 gallons in 2018 which was sold retail, wholesale and made into candy. Their expansion plans include the construction of a new sugarhouse and pancake house.

Blesy Maple

The Blesy family runs this 800 tap operation as part of their dairy farm in Springville, NY which includes help from Brandon, Elizabeth, Harold, Linda, Nathan, Matthew, Timmy, Brett and Lisa. They utilize vacuum and buckets to collect sap from 3 woodlots. The

vacuum systems include both vacuum and diaphragm style pumps. Vacuum is used to pulling cleaning water through the tubing for cleaning at the end of the season.

The Blesy’s concentrate with a 300 gph RO before sending the sap through a preheater and into a 2x6 evaporator. The sugarhouse was built from hemlock harvested from the sugarbush. They produce between 200 and 250 gallons of syrup annually which is sold through word of mouth, local business and wholesale. Participated in Maple Weekend for the first time.

Smith’s Maple Farm

This sugaring business is based in Hamburg, NY where Carl and Bridget tap 700 trees with help from their three children. Sap is collected with a combination of buckets and a vacuum tubing system. As a point of interest, their farm is also the site of the notorious murder of businessman John Love in 1824 which resulted in Erie County’s only public hanging!

The Smith’s sugarhouse features a D&G reverse osmosis unit and a wood-fired evaporator with a bubbler system. They produce between 300 and 400 gallons a year. Syrup is sold retail in metal, glass and plastic bottles. Carl and Bridget also produce a wide array of maple confections including cream, molded sugar, sugar, coated nuts, maple mustard and maple BBQ sauce.

Sunday Tour

MB Maple and Valley Maple

At 10,000 taps and growing, this maple operation is run by the Burnison family including Brian, Mandi, Wyatt, Riley, George and Laurie in Attica, NY. Sap is collected on vacuum from their managed woodlot with the help of a remote vacuum monitoring system.

The sugarhouse is a new pole barn structure and features a 3.5’x14’ D&G Thunderbolt evaporator coupled with a Mempro reverse osmosis unit. They produce an average of 4,500 gallons of syrup each year. The sugarhouse also contains a drum cooler and a maple equipment retail storefront. They sell their syrup retail and wholesale and produce cream, candy and coated nuts. Participated in Maple Weekend in 2019.

Junior’s Maple LLC

Junior’s Maple is a 5 year old, 5,000 tap business just outside of Batavia operated by Terry and Britanny Witkop. Sap is collected with a vacuum tubing system and also pumped and trucked out of the woods to their storage area.

Their processing equipment includes a 3’x11’ CDL Master evaporator with a full wash system and a 4 post Lapierre RO. They also utilize a preheater to improve efficiency in the boiler room. Annual production is 2,300 to 2,500 gallons for an average of 0.48 gallons per tap. Their syrup is retailed at the sugarhouse and sold wholesale through other maple producers.

Sweet Time Maple

Sweet Time Maple is a 10 year old operation run by the White family including Brad, Nicole, Todd, and Marcia in Wyoming, NY.  They have 24,000 taps and a sap storage capacity of 68,000 gallons. Most of their sap is pumped straight to the sugarhouse, while the rest is picked up by truck.  To filter their sap, they use a sand filter and diatomaceous earth. They also utilize a UV light to improve sap quality.

Their syrup is processed with a 16 post CDL RO and a 6x16 oil-fired evaporator fitted with a CDL Steam Away.  They work with three different sized filter presses: 10”, 20”, and 8”. Their appealing sugarhouse, built seven years ago, is a tidy, red building, emblazoned with a large logo, and located in an idyllic setting.  Here, they sell their syrup retail and wholesale, and also offer maple cream and candy. Additionally, they serve a pancake breakfast in the sugarhouse over Maple Weekend.

Happy Hill Maple Products Inc.

Happy Hill Maple is a 7,300 tap, 8 year old business operated by Nate and Missy Coral.  This past season, they made 3,717 gallons in their large, modern sugarhouse. They have utilized a tubing and vacuum system since the operation began in 2011.  The sap is stored in open top tanks and then trucked to the processing facility.

Back at the sugarhouse, they treat sap with a UV light and sand filter for improved quality.  Their 3x10 oil-fired evaporator is fitted with hoods on both the front and rear, as well as a Steam away.  They retail their syrup and candy to local shops and other businesses, and wholesale their syrup by word-of-mouth.  They would like to participate in Maple Weekend in the future, provided they get more helping hands. One way Happy Hill Maple serves their community is by conducting tours for the education of local schoolchildren.

Merle Maple Farm LLC

Merle Maple is an 18,000 tap operation, producing 8,500 gallons of syrup per year. All syrup is sold in consumer sized containers or in many different specialty products. Syrup is also purchased to keep up with demand. The sugar house will not be part of the tour - we will be featuring the value-added portion of the operation with demonstrations of vacuum cooling, sugar candy making, cream/spread production, samples of all our products, and a slide show of Maple Weekend.

Syrup samples (¾ oz. will be plenty) brought to the tour on Friday evening will be tested for Invert and Density. Bourbon Syrup can be tested for the alcohol percent. This testing is possible because of a grant from the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority and WNY Maple Producers. Results will be returned to you at the banquet on Saturday night.