Whereas the thought of consuming tree sap would possibly sound uncommon, Ontario’s maple producers are hoping to show maple water into the following international must-try beverage.
Many are acquainted with the wealthy sweetness of maple syrup, the thick, amber liquid made by boiling down the sap of maple bushes. Nonetheless, many are unaware that the sap itself — usually discarded or boiled down into syrup — could be loved as a refreshing low-sugar drink.
This beverage, generally known as maple water, is evident, barely candy (containing simply two per cent pure sugars), and has been gaining reputation within the Ontario and wider Canadian market.
In Ontario, the place the maple syrup business thrives, some maple farmers are pioneering a brand new market.
One such firm is Sap Sucker, based in 2015 by a passionate Ontario household with deep roots in maple farming.
Alex Argiropoulos, senior enterprise growth supervisor at Sap Sucker, shares the story of its creation, explaining what number of maple farmers grew up consuming maple water.
“The founder, Nancy Chapman, grew up on a small household farm the place they’d faucet bushes only for private use. They drank the sap straight from the bucket earlier than boiling it down into syrup,” he stated.
“And so, when Nancy wished to start out a enterprise, she thought, ‘We all the time drink the sap from the bucket earlier than we boil it down. How can we create one thing from this?’”
Although the thought of promoting maple sap as a beverage will not be totally new in Ontario, turning it right into a mass-market product comes with important challenges.
Maple sap is perishable, sometimes lasting solely 48 hours earlier than spoiling, which makes it a hurdle for any producer aiming to convey it to a large viewers. However with the suitable gear and a imaginative and prescient for the long run, Sap Sucker has been capable of make it work.
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Since 2020, corporations like theirs have gained traction in Canada and overseas.
Sap Sucker’s maple water is now accessible throughout Canada and internationally, from France to Japan, due to its positioning as a “more healthy different” to sugary drinks like coconut water. “Individuals love the clear, refreshing style, with no lingering aftertaste like stevia or synthetic sweeteners provide you with,” says Argiropoulos.
In the meantime, White Meadow Farms within the Niagara area — a fourth-generation maple syrup farm — can also be seeing potential in maple water.
Though the farm focuses on maple syrup manufacturing, Amanda Bearing, a associate at White Meadow Farms, says maple water might develop into a globally loved beverage with elevated client schooling.
“Outdoors of Canada, it isn’t extensively identified how maple syrup is made and that it comes from the sap of a maple tree. So I believe you would need to educate folks for those who’re making an attempt to promote it globally on the place it comes from, and what it’s and what the well being advantages of it are,” Bearing explains.
“Individuals usually don’t notice that maple sap could be very barely candy, with a sugar content material between 2 per cent and 4 per cent, so it’s not like consuming pop,” she added.
Ynez Giancola, vice-president of finance and operations at Sap Sucker, tells World that the potential for maple water to enrich the market and profit the financial system is evident. Nonetheless, like all new industries, it’ll take time and funding to scale.
“Customers don’t essentially perceive what water from a tree is,” Giancola says. Nonetheless, she believes that corporations like Sap Sucker are tapping into a singular area of interest that different international beverage manufacturers don’t supply.
Ontario’s maple syrup business is already thriving — the province produces a few of the greatest maple syrup on the planet, with Ontario accounting for a good portion of Canada’s maple syrup exports.
“Maple manufacturing helps the Ontario financial system, the maple business, and ensures that our provide chain stays totally Canadian-based,” says Giancola.
“With the whole lot happening tariff smart, we’re seeing a number of additional assist for Canadian manufacturing,” she added.
When it comes to scalability, each Giancola and Argiropoulos are optimistic about the way forward for maple water.
They consider that as extra folks develop into conscious of it, particularly in city facilities, the market will proceed to broaden. “We’re already seeing progress in nationwide retailers. Clients are actually on the lookout for a lot of these pure, natural and wholesome merchandise and we slot in there,” says Giancola.
Nonetheless, there are nonetheless challenges to beat. The gear wanted to make maple sap shelf-stable — by processes like filtration and pasteurization — comes with a excessive preliminary value. “For maple farmers, it’s a big upfront funding,” says Argiropoulos.
Whereas the way forward for maple water remains to be brewing, Ontario has a central position to play within the progress of the business.
With a wealthy nationwide historical past of maple syrup manufacturing and a recent twist on an outdated custom, Ontario’s maple water might sooner or later develop into a staple beverage alternative in lots of households.
Whether or not or not maple water can rival coconut water’s international reputation is but to be found.
Nonetheless, with native producers like Sap Sucker and White Meadow Farms optimistic about progressive merchandise and the assist of an rising variety of Ontario-based farmers, it’s clear that the maple water development is barely simply starting.
“It may very well be the following large factor,” stated Bearing.
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