Companies tap into Vermont's large maple potential

[PoliticAverse]

Last edited Sun Mar 22, 2015, 07:50 AM - Edit history (1)

ISLAND POND, Vt. (AP) -- Already, Vermont is maple syrup capital of the U.S., with production traditionally being a side business for farmers. Could a large-scale operation, tapping into thousands of acres of maple trees in a remote northeastern part of the state, be as sweet?

This isn't the old galvanized-sap bucket-nailed-to-a-tree type of operation. This is industrial-sized maple. And companies know there's rising demand for natural sweeteners as consumers turn away from products made with high fructose corn syrup.

Sweetree LLC plans to become the biggest producer of the sticky-sweet stuff in North America. Though the operation has created full-time jobs in a poor region and says it will boost local producers by also buying certified organic syrup, the move has also generated some curiosity and concern from those in the maple business in a state that yielded $49 million worth of syrup in 2013.

The operation, backed by Wood Creek Capital Management of New Haven, Connecticut, chose northeastern Vermont because of the state's brand and large tracts of high-elevation land, which isn't as affected by climate change, Sweetree CEO Bob Saul said.

Read the rest at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FOOD_AND_FARM_MEGA_MAPLE?SITE=MYPSP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-03-21-18-22-12

Alternate link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/companies-tap-vermonts-large-maple-potential-29806977