Maple producers adapt to changing environment

For Russell Lampron, the coronavirus pandemic didn’t make his decision to shut down his family-run sugar house any easier.

Lampron, who owns Red Roof Maples in Loudon, decided this will be his final season in part because COVID-19 has been hard on small maple producers.

“I know there's others out there that are having a hard time,” Lampron said. “For my sales last year, I didn't sell anywhere near as much retail as I normally would, because there was no maple weekend and then no fairs in the fall.”

Mostly, Lampron is closing down due to personal reasons, but he said he will miss making maple syrup, working in the woods this time of the year, and his loyal customers. He’ll also miss the “sweet smells and making the maple syrup and the finished product.”

New Hampshire’s maple weekend, where dozens of sugar shacks around the state open to the public, is usually held at the end of March. Last year it was canceled due to concerns over the pandemic, which tanked sales. This year — good weather or bad, pandemic or no pandemic — maple houses are getting creative to attract customers during “Maple Month” and have found new ways to sell and market their products, while keeping everyone safe.

Making the most of it

Michele Wright from the 100-Acre Wood Sugar Shack in Intervale said their last season was stung the pandemic. They felt it was unsafe to keep their doors open to the public, but throughout the summer, fall and winter they slowly sold maple syrup a few quarts at time from their office.

Last month, business started to pick up. On the weekend of Feb. 19, Wright said about 100 people masked and socially distanced showed up over the three days. She hopes the number of people coming in only increases as March goes on, but customers may have to be patient since only a small number of people are allowed inside the sugar shack at one time. Wright typically produces about 250 gallons a season, but this year started a bit later than usual.

While some operations are just starting out, others have been going strong for generations.

Further north in Berlin, Bisson’s Sugar House is celebrating its 100th year this March. Although the pandemic was hard in the beginning, the decision to do curbside pick-up has been a success. Once the pandemic struck last year, owner Lucien Blais prepared for the worst.

“I said ‘wow, this is really, really gonna be a bad season,’” Blais said. “And then all of a sudden, we got some publicity from the local paper and all that and it broke loose. People just kind of started coming up. And people just expressed their appreciation that we were still open.”

Customers definitely miss coming into the sugar house and seeing the process, according to Blais.

On a normal Maple weekend Blais would have 500 or 600 people come through the sugar house. Having those kinds of crowds is simply unworkable with COVID still spreading in the state. Blais said just the thought of that many people would keep him up at night. Bisson’s maple season typically starts a little later, but continues longer because it’s colder up north.

“It looks like it's going to be about an average season as far as the starting because usually the last few years, with climate change, sometimes we've made syrup in February,” Blais said. “But up here, the average season is about right.”

Over at 6 Saplings Sugarhouse in Wilmot, owner Dara Gove said this year they will be open every weekend in March and have COVID-19 protocols in place to ask everybody to sanitize when they come in. If it gets too busy in the sugar house, they may put a hold on having new people come in. Overall, Gove said she’s trying to get back to business as usual with a few modifications. Sampling syrup with a mask on is tricky business, so they will give out plastic to-go cups with lids so people can try it when they leave.

This year is off to a slow start.

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“We haven't produced quite as much as we have in the past at this point,” Gove said. “But it's all Mother Nature driven. So I never know what we're going get.”

Seasonal struggles

Larger producers that sell wholesale syrup seem to have fared better that some of the smaller operations.

“From what I understand the prices have started to increase a little bit because the Canadian supply is down,” said Lampron, of Red Roof Maples in Loudon. "It's probably helping a little bit because there's been a larger demand for the maple syrup this year than there has been because of people staying at home.”

On top of the pandemic, some producers say production isn’t the same as it used to be due to the effects of climate change and the general unpredictability of New England weather.

Maple producer Jeff Babel of Babel’s Sugar Shack in Mason said climate change has been more of a struggle than the pandemic.

“In the last say 10 or so years it's just climate change and everything, it really affects us,” Babel said. “It affects the syrup that we make too, because, for instance, this year I have no light syrup. It started right out at amber. And last year, because we tap so early and start boiling, I made a ton of light syrup.”

He said making maple syrup is similar to farming, you’ve got to make the best of it and know you're not always going to have ideal conditions.

Last year, Babel advertised on Facebook page that he would deliver syrup to customers in the area, which proved to be a hit. He plans to do the same this year. Babel said he makes a 100 gallons a year and always sells out.

For some larger producers like Bruce Bascom of Bascom Maple Farms in Acworth, the pandemic has barely affected sales. Another large producer, Ben Fisk of Ben’s Sugar Shack in Temple, agreed that demand is strong

Bascom boils down about 45,000 gallons of syrup each year, making him one of the largest producers in the state.

With the ongoing pandemic, Bascom said he has done well because of the large scale of his operation and marketing maple product online, where sales are booming.

Fisk, who typically produces 10,000 gallons a year, said he misses people stopping and learning about the process.

“We always love when people come into the Sugar House and stuff and we can explain how maple syrup is made and people can see the passion that I have for it as well as my help,” Fisk said.

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These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.