The hillsides stretching lush throughout the state in the summertime begin awakening in late winter. The sap starts to rise with snow still blanketing the ground and only a few dried-up beech leaves still clinging to the trees. Sugar makers, big and small, head into the woods. They watch the weather, check lines, and set taps. Once temperatures fall into the pattern of freezing at night and rising again during the daylight hours, boiling begins.  

Did you know it takes 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup? That’s a lot of boiling! A lot of fire tending, density testing, and storytelling, too. Long days and nights in sugar houses are a long-standing Vermont tradition. And while the syrup it yields is a sweet delicacy we all treasure, the time spent making it can be just as sweet. 

We are thrilled to offer you so many choices of this local favorite. Stop by our dedicated endcap to browse the options – maybe even do your own taste test to see which one you like best!  

Adamant Syrup – Rick Barstow runs Adamant Sugar House with his family on their farm in the small community of Adamant. 

Baird Farm – Since 1918, the Baird family has made maple syrup on the same land, and others made it there before that! Jenna and Jacob run the sugaring operation these days and have delved into some exciting flavors. Our co-op carries their spruce tip infused syrup – try it in a cocktail, on salmon, or in your favorite baked good. 

Brookfield Sugarmakers – Bill Council still uses a horse-drawn sleigh to gather his sap. Rather than using a tube collection system, he collects sap from every bucket at every tree. All syrup is delicate golden quality, with an incredible depth of flavor. Along with their syrup, the Co-op also carries their maple candy – seven-time Tunbridge World’s Fair Blue Ribbon winner. 

Hillsboro Sugarworks – Located on Hillsboro Mountain in Starksboro, this family-owned and operated year-round business makes certified organic maple syrup with a commitment to environmental sustainability. 

Kents’ Corner – Based in Calais, sugarmaker Craig Line sets more than 1,000 taps to collect the sap from trees in a sustainably managed forest. The sap is then boiled over various wood logs to impart multiple flavors to the syrup. The Co-op sells their bourbon barrel-aged syrup, among other varieties. 

Kingdom Mountain – Dan Backus makes more than syrup at Kingdom Mountain Farm in Westfield. He also grows hay, raises beef cattle, and creates firewood and sawlogs. Dan and his wife Kim produce certified organic maple syrup from more than 2,000 taps and use the reverse osmosis process, reducing the length of time the syrup must be boiled and the amount of wood needed. 

Runamok Maple – Located in Cambridge and Fairfield, Runamok Maple’s 1,100 acres runs along the western slopes of Mt. Mansfield. Owners Eric and Laura Sorkin and their crew use over 80,000 taps to collect sap for their infused maple syrups in a variety of flavors, including ginger root, elderberry, markut lime-leaf, hibiscus, cardamom, and jasmine tea. 

Silloway Maple – Paul and Louise Silloway began farming in Randolph Center in 1940, and it’s been a family affair ever since. They started out hand hauling buckets of sap and boiling in a wood fired arch. In the late 1970s they switched to a tube system, and in 2014 they built a new sugarhouse, complete with solar panels and a reverse osmosis machine. They still boil using scrap wood from their logging operation to make award-winning syrup.  

Slopeside Syrup – Slopeside Syrup is situated on the flanks of Cochran’s ski area. In 2010, four cousins in the iconic ski family tapped 5,000 trees and got to work making maple syrup. They persisted despite their first season being the worst for sap production in recent memory. Over the next few years, they expanded to the full potential of their sugar bush – 22,000 taps and they are still at it today. 

Square Deal Farm – Bordered by an 11,000-acre wildlife preserve, this farm is located in Walden, where they make a variety of grades of maple syrup. Their syrups are certified organic and bottled only in food-grade tin or glass. 

Wood’s Syrup – Wood’s Syrup makes bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup. Located in Randolph, the family owns the land where they have been making maple syrup for generations, up to 1,800 gallons yearly.