Increasing maple producer sales and incomes with quality value-added products

Increasing maple producer sales and incomes with quality value-added products

Summary

The primary focus of the first year of the project “Increasing Maple Producer Sales and Incomes with Quality Value Added Products” was to collect the best information available on making quality maple confections and begin research on improving their quality, shelf life and marketability. We were to develop this information into a notebook for producers. Next the plan was to conduct workshops to educate producers on improved methods of evaluating maple syrup for it’s suitability for making confections and procedures for making, pricing and marketing value added maple products for on site consumption.

Following the initial review of a number of methods of measuring invert sugar in maple syrup, research conducted at the Cornell Food Venture Center verified the use of the common diabetic meter for these measurements. The Center is continuing research on improved guidelines for maple jelly, maple straws, maple sugar straws, maple marshmallow, single serve sealed maple syrup and jelly containers, maple slush, and other emerging product suggestions. The draft maple confections notebook has been developed and distributed to 118 maple producers for their use and evaluation. These 118 maple producers first attended one of six different workshops, where they were trained on the use of the new meters and in making high quality maple cream, sugar and molded sugars that can be incorporated into products of on site consumption treats. The participating producers represented 1,596 years of maple production experience, produce 34,208 gallons of maple annually and have 172,842 taps.

At this point 29 of the attending maple producers have agreed to participate in the in-depth financial study of the impact of making and marketing value added products on their business profitability. Survey materials for this have been developed during this past year and are ready to be distributed in 2007. Currently additional workshops are being scheduled with the anticipation that at least 10 more will be conducted in 2007, and including Pennsylvania and Ohio sites.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Through maple product research and participation in maple kitchen value added workshops, improve profits of 35 of the 50 participating maple producers by 20% by expanded retail sales of new value-added maple products to be consumed on site at fairs, farmers markets,. shows and festivals.

Maple producers need to sell more of their syrup as value added products. While a significant portion of maple products are sold at fairs, farmers markets, shows, open houses and festivals, there is a serious lack of maple products designed for customers to consume directly at these settings. This project seeks to increase the diversity, quality and profitability of maple production without tapping an additional tree, making another trip to the sugar bush, or purchase major equipment. Profitable maple sugar making leads to sustainable forests, managed to provide consistent farmer income rather than destructive harvest giving the farm family a one time enhancement. Maple confections are natural healthy sweeteners and flavor ingredient. Making maple production a more profitable enterprise can help farmers meet family financial expectations.

Participants will complete an assessment of current practices and current value added sales when they begin the program and will complete a second assessment after the test marketing exercises. The five test marketing sites will be monitored for all costs and incomes to determine the profitability for producers marketing these new maple value added products. The 12 producers recruited for economic analysis will provide a final economic evaluation of how the financial situation has changed in their operations following the training and test marketing.

Accomplishments/Milestones

The first milestone was to notify 600 maple producers of workshop opportunities. This was accomplished through media releases, announcement at maple meetings, maple producer association mailings and through county extension offices.

By 12 months the Extension and Food Venture Center staff was to have compiled and tested a draft set of recipes and standards for new value added maple products appropriate for on market site consumption and incorporate this into a Maple Confections Notebook. Following the initial review of a number of methods of measuring invert sugar in maple syrup, research conducted at the Cornell Food Venture Center verified the use of the common diabetic meter for these measurements. The Center is continuing research on improved guidelines for maple jelly, maple straws, maple sugar straws, maple marshmallow, single serve sealed maple syrup and jelly containers, maple slush, and other emerging product suggestions. The draft notebooks were compiled through out the summer of 2006 and distributed in September through November to a total of 118 producers and extension personal. These 118 maple producers first attended one of six different workshops, where they were trained on the use of the new meters and in making high quality maple cream, sugar and molded sugars that can be incorporated into products of on site consumption treats. The producers represented 1,596 years of maple production experience, produce 34,208 gallons of maple annually and have 172,842 taps. These workshops were also run in cooperation with the New York State Farm Viability Institute.

The third milestone is to occur by 18 months with 50 maple producers and 5 county extension educators completing a current practices assessment and participating in one day value added kitchen workshops at one of 5 locations around NY, PA and OH. Currently additional workshops are being scheduled with the anticipation that at least 10 more will be conducted in 2007 that will include Pennsylvania and Ohio sites.

At 20 months 12 producer volunteer are to have completed costs of production and marketing cost evaluations. At this point 29 of the attending maple producers have agreed to participate in the in-depth financial study of the impact of making and marketing value added products on their business profitability. Survey materials for this have been developed during this past year and are ready to be distributed in of 2007.

By 22 months five cooperative sub-groups of producers from the workshops will have conducted test markets where new products were made and sold and profit evaluated at five fairs, shows or festivals.

At 24 months we are to complete final financial analysis with 12 producer volunteers.

At 25 months two hundred maple producers who did not attend the kitchen workshops will be classroom trained and have access to the recipes, standards and profit potential of the new value added products at sessions of the winter maple schools.

By 30 months NY Maple Weekend participants will be evaluated for having marketed value added products on maple weekend 2008.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

At this point we have not reached the goal of evaluating the profitability of value added maple products on individual farms but have completed several important steps in reaching this goal. The financial evaluation materials have been developed in cooperation with the Farm Link and Pro-Dairy program at Cornell and we have 29 volunteers from which to select participants for the in-depth financial business study.

Training maple producers to use diabetic meters to evaluate maple syrups for their confection qualities has been received with much excitement from the 118 workshop participants. They are currently building a data base of confection outcomes with these new testing tools. Having an in-expensive, simple and accurate method for producers to have information on the level of invert sugar in syrup is an important key to consistent quality confection production. A number have reported following through with using the meters in the maple business.

Collaborators: