To celebrate Spring (and raise some additional funds for our move to our new headquarters!)
Northern Woodlands is currently running a
Backyard Evaporator Raffle. We're offering a limited number of tickets to win a new Sapling™ unit, donated by the generous folks at
Vermont Evaporator Company.
The company, founded in 2015 by Kate and Justin McCabe, describes itself as "a family-owned business that manufactures small, home-scale sap evaporation units for the backyard maple sugaring enthusiast." We asked Kate to share a little more about how they got started, and about their first years running the company. Here are some excerpts:
What inspired Kate's interest in sugaring:
I grew up in New Hampshire in a log cabin in the woods. Our neighbors were sugarmakers. They were the halfway point in the half-mile walk to and from the bus stop. In the spring, when we saw that steam rising from the sugarhouse, we knew we could stop in on our way home and warm up with a Dixie cup full of almost-syrup straight from the pan. Smells take hold of your heart in childhood; that's where I learned to love the smell of sweet steam mixed with pine smoke.
How the company got started:
We decided to start the business after we couldn't find an affordable way to make maple syrup efficiently in our own backyard. Justin was an engineer before he was an attorney. And, even now, as an intellectual property lawyer, he works with that part of his brain. He is a farmer at heart. Makes what he needs from whatever he's got. Would prefer to be outside. Loves animals. Has about 100 ideas per day. He and my father did the initial design together.
We knew we had something when we sold 11 units on Craigslist in about 10 days.
The best aspects of her work:
Making my own mistakes. Meeting people. (I love people.) Throwing myself into something I know nothing about and figuring it out, trial-by-fire style. Understanding more about how the world works every day as a result. For example, let's talk about those steel tariffs...
How much are the kids involved in the family business?
Not a lot at this point. They are savvy enough to request payment. Although I'm about to ask my daughter to model our new company t-shirt...in exchange for a company t-shirt. We'll see how that goes.
Advice for novice sugarmakers:
In the words of Bert from Illinois, one of my all-time favorite customers, "unlax 'yall." And some sage advice from a Facebook Fan: "There are two types of sugarmakers. Those that have burned their pan. And those that are going to burn their pan. Fill it with vinegar. Let it soak overnight. Scrub."
