Road Warrior to the Woods
I spent decades as an outside sales representative. Day after day, client after client, I would drive sometimes 250 miles per day, five days per week, resulting in the inability to provide superior service to my valued customers. I felt ineffective and exhausted. I hit a breaking point. So I asked myself: "Who am I really working for?" My answer to this question guided me to the realization that I desired to simplify and reevaluate how I was spending my time and energy.
In 2011, I made the decision to purchase fifty-five acres of land off the Beaver Kill River in the Catskill Mountains of New York - it was totally off grid and beautiful. While walking in the woods, which was therapeutic to me, I took in all of the beautiful gifts nature had to offer my spirit. Among the beauty stood an abundance of maple trees. I immediately thought, "Gee, how do I make maple syrup?" This thought bounced through my mind for several moments, and I continued on my walk.
Then the day came where I decided to put my thought into action. I no longer wanted to receive threatening emails from managers or focus on unrealistic sales goals. I wanted to work for myself, and I wanted to learn how to make maple syrup. I went out and bought a few buckets, taps, and a hydrometer, and so begins my journey of making pure maple syrup.
My first attempt was wonderful - the product was perfect in every way! From the process to the quality, I was impressed. But there was one major problem: it took forever... and ever. I knew there had to be an easier, more streamlined process. And talk about perfect timing, because it just so happened that we were in the midst of New York State Maple Producers Weekend. I took full advantage by traveling over three counties to tour sap houses during syrup production. I quickly found that the people in this industry were very welcoming to new maple producers and very eager to help lead me on the right path.
On the journey to learning how to best approach the art of making maple syrup, I found that there is a very scientific process involved. One may say that I use the "old school" maple production method, and that is ok with me. My pledge is to produce "Private Reserve" maple syrup in a clean and simplified way, the sap is gravity fed from my trees to the wood-fired evaporator, then packaged in quality glass containers. Pure and simple.
Mountain Lady Maple is woman owned and operated, committed to the sustainable use of the forests, and providing customers with clean 100% pure organic maple syrup. From our maple trees to your table, each handcrafted bottle is a result of dedication to a thoughtful process that ensures the highest level of quality.