The name Maplecrest has special meaning to us. My (Gordie’s) parents planned to retire in 1976 and build a home in the woods called Maplecrest. My father fashioned a beautiful wood sign as a Christmas gift for my mother and construction was going to commence in the spring. Their dream ended tragically when my father was killed in an automobile accident. The sign is a work of art, and we proudly hung it on a little cabin in the woods that we built essentially so our grandkids could enjoy a rustic getaway when they visit.
Our maple syrup woods has some history, as it was an active sugar bush in the late 50s and early 60s, but it has been quiet since then. For decades the area was full of “cemeteries” of rusty tin cans and leftover equipment.
In 2013 I felt the bug to bring the woods back into maple syrup production. After cleaning up the old remnants and building the cabin, an outhouse for when nature calls, and small boiling shed, we entered our first year with 250 taps and a 2 x 6 CDL evaporator. We enjoyed the process and results so much that after we retired in 2017 we decided to expand. Now we have a 650-tap vacuum pipeline and a new building called The Distillery, complete with running water and electricity. Our small but modern facility is inspected and licensed, and we expect to make over 300 gallons of the delicious stuff every year.
Making maple syrup is a true labor of love. As winter releases it grip, we consider ourselves fortunate to boil, filter and bottle this sweet liquid. It is our goal to bring you the highest quality product possible, and we hope that you will enjoy it as much as we do.
In 1957, Gordie’s father shot this 8mm footage of the family’s visit to Hank and Eva Manula’s sugarbush, which was located about one mile from where Maplecrest is today. Gordie is the adorable two-year-old, and his older brothers who have helped us make syrup over years are there too. Technology has certainly come a long way in the past 60-plus years, and our family’s love of maple syrup has come full circle in the meantime!