Pettit

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those that we call our ‘Maple Family’, those that have provided us with sap, they are a part of our family. You see it when people come in feeling welcome and comfortable to observe the process. We would want them to feel like they are a part of our family. Everyone is welcome to come by and bring mom and dad, or grandpa and grandma to watch the process and have some ice cream and hot maple syrup.”

During the next few years, Pettit said their goal for the Pettit Traditional Maple Syrup brand is to continue to grow and make the process of collecting and producing syrup more efficient and easier on the trees. “Our plan is to put in more taps on a line system, which is up all year round,” he said. “We have ways to install lines that don’t have leaks. It’s kind of a new thing that allows us to fuse the taps to the mainlines to get an air tight seal. Doing more lines means less bags, which are more labor intensive and harder on the trees. Lines are better because there is no driving through the woods to get the sap and damaging tree roots. It doesn’t hurt the trees.”

By adapting new technology into their maple syrup production, Pettit said they will be able to continue taking on new sap suppliers. Desire for maple syrup has only gone up since the COVID-19 pandemic, and by innovating new ways to retrieve sap and give customers a good product, they will be able to provide people what they want.

“They say demand for syrup is up 20 percent from before,” said Pettit. “COVID has driven a lot of people away from processed food and towards real food and real syrup. That is partially why the demand is going up. “

There is a lot to this process. It is all about learning from experience and often doing some research. “Visitors have so many questions as to why there is different colors of syrup or what makes the syrup through a channeled pan?”

Producing maple syrup is a real passion for the Pettit family as all of the family is involved is some aspect from tapping to cooking to bottling and labeling. Understanding the all aspects of the process, the labeling requirements and keeping a clean licensed facility that produces a quality maple syrup is very important to everyone in the Pettit family.

FAMILY- Members of the Pettit Family are (from left) Billy Barth, Joan Martin, Dominic Gerretsen, Ari Gerretsen (held), Cassie Pettit, Brenda Pettit, Wade Pettit, Kenny Pettit and John Martin. The family works together every year to make their traditional maple syrup.