Maple syrup production cost increase won't stick to consumers

It's a sure sign of spring — the sap is running in earnest after a few days of mild weather. Still, it's a late and worrisome start for Nova Scotia maple syrup producers as their costs begin to rise.

Sunshine and a few days of above-zero temperatures mean the sap is finally running at Hutchinson Acres in Lake Paul, Kings County.

Workers are checking 250 kilometers of plastic tubing and pipe for leaks, unwilling to give up a drop since the season started three weeks later than usual.

"At the end of the week we will have rain. That will help a lot. We need warmer temperatures and rain to make the snow melt around the trees," said Alain Veilleux, the operations manager at Hutchinson Acres.

Inside the cookhouse, boiling the sap into maple syrup has begun, with workers checking to make sure it's exactly 66 per cent sugar.

'It's been a hard job'

It takes 40 litres of sap to get one litre of syrup and production is still ramping up at Hutchinson Acres — one of the province's largest producers — because of conditions outside. There is still lots of snow in the woods. Keeping the lines shovelled and clear in preparation for boil has been a lot of work.

"It's been a hard job this year," said Veilleux. "We shovelled the black line for 21 straight days."

Longer hours preventing ice plugs have driven up costs for producers in Nova Scotia and in Quebec, which supplies 85 per cent of the world market.

Leanne Dobrota, the marketing manager for Hutchinson Acres, says consumers won't see a price increase this year.

"Quebec has a maple syrup reserve," said Dobrota. "It's a safeguard when we do have a year that has a lower yield. Then they can pull from the reserve from the previous year and it safeguards against those price fluctuations."

Fun facts about maple syrup:

• To be considered maple syrup, the syrup must contain at least 66 per cent sugar.
• It takes 40 liters of sap from a maple tree to produce one litre of maple syrup.
• "Tree sand" is a mineral in the sap that is filtered out during the boiling process.
• Sales of maple syrup by 69 commercial producers in Nova Scotia last year totalled $1.8 million.
• Producers feel, like coconut water, the "maple water" or sap that flows from the tree is poised to be the industry's next big thing.

A 375 ml container of maple syrup sells for between $20 and $23.

With 162 hectares of maple trees, Hutchinson is trying to grow its market through the recent launch of a new product line: maple syrup infused with spices such as cinnamon, lemongrass and vanilla.

The idea is to "get more people using maple syrup for more than pancakes," said Dobrota.

The culinary line is sold at Sobeys, but how much syrup it and the province's other commercial producers will actually have to sell this year still depends on what happens with the weather in the next couple of weeks.

Last year, Nova Scotia producers had nearly $2 million worth of sales.

This season could be short and not necessarily sweet.