Our Process

Spring is a special time of year in Vermont and our family has been building traditions every spring for generations. Our story began in 1876 when William Howrigan Sr began making pure Vermont maple syrup in a sugarhouse with a wood fired evaporator, tapping trees with wooden spouts and hanging wooden buckets to catch the sweet sap. Horse drawn sleds were used to gather the sap and bring to the sugarhouse. The 30-foot trough that he hand-carved in the 1880s is on display today in our sugarhouse.

Generations later, we continue to employ a unique blend of tradition with the latest technological advances to increase efficiency and production while continuing to produce a quality product that tastes great and exemplifies the pride we take in producing our syrup. We like to think of it as Vermont's own “liquid gold”.

Today, in 2020, hundreds of miles of pipeline bring the sap from tens of thousands of our sugar maple trees directly to stainless steel storage tanks. At the sugarhouse, reverse osmosis increases the sugar concentration by removing some of the water. The sap is then boiled in a state of the art evaporator to create our maple syrup. We keep a sample with the production date and the grade of each and every barrel that we produce.

Maple sugaring season is a busy time of year and begins for our family in early January and lasts well into April. It's a time of year we all look forward to as our families come together to work in the woods and prepare for the season. There is nothing better than the incomparable aroma of the boiling sap and the taste of syrup hot off the rig. Sharing this experience with neighbors, friends and visitors is part of who were are and we look forward to carrying on these traditions for generations to come. 

Golden with Delicate Taste (formerly called Fancy): Light, golden color with a mild, delicate taste. Excellent
as a table syrup for pancakes and waffles or over ice cream, yogurt or oatmeal or to sweeten your favorite beverage
(coffee, tea, latte, kefir).

Dark with Robust Taste (formerly called Grade B): A dark amber color with a more pronounced maple
flavor, this class will satisfy those consumers who desire the stronger flavor and translates well
to cooking.