News Release 

Date: Mar. 14, 2008

Contact: Rebecca Schuelke, communication specialist
Telephone: (315) 453-3823 extension 103
Cell phone: (315) 427-2714
Email: rschuelke@nyfvi.org


Value-added products sweeten business for maple producer

By Kara Lynn Dunn
NYFVI Correspondent
Article appeared in Feb. 2008 issue of American Agriculturalist

A fresh look at maple confections has one fifth-generation producer predicting an income increase of 10-20 percent by 2009.

Bob Wright uses the same maple cream-making machine that his granddad, American Maple Museum Hall of Famer Leon S. Wright, Sr., used in the 1950s. However, thanks to recent hands-on training, Wright has created new product lines at Wright Farms in Franklinville, NY (Cattaraugus County).

Wright is among more than 90 producers who have attended maple confections workshops to date. Those workshops were part of an initiative funded with a $78,000 grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute. Grant funds were for a series of trainings statewide in 2006 and 2007 to help maple producers learn techniques for making consistent and high-quality maple sugar, cream, candy and other treats, as well as to increase earnings from the high-value sweets. The project, speared by Cornell University’s Maple Program, recently received continuation funds of $90,500 for work through 2009.

“Producers statewide are realizing that converting their syrup into confections can improve income four- to five-fold,” says Cornell University Maple Specialist Steve Childs.

Impetus for educating producers about value-added opportunities came after a 2004 Cornell survey showed less than 10 percent of New York maple producers were making confections. Those responding to the survey reported only 8.8 percent of their gross income was generated by value-added product sales.

For a minimal investment, Wright says, he adapted his existing production equipment and purchased a candy thermometer and maple sucker molds. At the workshops, he learned how to analyze and use invert sugar levels. Knowing how to test for invert sugar helps producers match processing technique with the type of product they desire. For example, Childs says, “When light amber syrup tests low for invert sugar, it is more suited for making maple cream and granulated sugar. A syrup higher in invert sugar is better for maple taffy, suckers, meringues, marshmallow, soft drinks and slushies. The level also helps determine optimal cooking temperature per product choice.”

Wright says, “I enjoyed learning about invert sugar ratios and how maple crystals respond to temperature to make granulated sugar. I want to understand the process behind each product.”

Wright applied his new knowledge to his first on-farm batch of granulated sugar. “I over-stirred and it was like dust. I corrected and the second batch turned out fine,” he says.

Bob and his brother Rick, who runs the dairy side of Wright Farms, begin their value-added process by collecting syrup from 7,000 taps via a tubing system in place since 2006. They use a 6x16-foot wood-fired evaporator and a steam-away system to produce 1,500 gallons of syrup. They have traditionally packaged the syrup in tins, plastic jugs, and fancy glass bottles and made maple cream and block sugar. In 2008, they will double the amount of syrup they put into value-added processing, and are perfecting maple mustard, dry rub and maple chicken wing sauce.

Bob’s wife Joan Marie and son Alex help with packaging and sales direct from the farm and at Western New York artisan shows. Products are for sale via the farm website, www.wrightfarmsmaplesyrup.com. The Wrights wholesale to restaurants and antique shops. With an expanding line of confections and an enhanced system for developing price points, the Wrights say they will add shows and income in 2008.

The value-added maple project has produced a 200-page New York State Maple Confections Notebook and trained six Cornell Cooperative Extension educators in maple product development. For more information, contact Steve Childs at (607) 255-1658, slc18@cornell.edu.




New York Farm Viability Institute is an independent, farmer-led nonprofit organization that directs and funds farm-level research to increase profits, reduce costs and other barriers, create jobs and encourage practical innovation on the farm. The Institute receives funds from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Visit www.nyfvi.org.