HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-07-25, Page 2PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2019.
Several local syrup producers
served as stops along the annual
summer tour of the Ontario Maple
Syrup Producers Association.
For two and a half years,
organizers behind the Ontario Maple
Syrup Producers Association’s
annual summer tour have been
planning the Grey Bruce
association’s iteration of the event.
Association Grey-Bruce Chapter
President Nick Bereznick says that
the event brought as many as 200
people on tours of locations under its
purview, included several in
northern Huron County.
Held over three days, the tour
began at the TownPlace Suites by
Mariott in Kincardine and then
visited multiple producers to show
how maple syrup is produced over
the days in this chapter’s region.
Bereznick said this tour has been a
long time in the making.
“We’ve been planning it for two
and a half years, getting everything
in place,” Bereznick said. “It’s
been very intense for the past six
months.”
People came from across Ontario,
as well as some visitors from south
of the border and some from
Quebec, to take part in the event.
The three-day event had 165 visitors
the first day, 200 the second and 175
the third, Bereznick said.
Aside from touring local
producers, like Robinson’s Maple
Syrup in St. Augustine, Maple Creek
Farm near Blyth and Freedom Syrup
near Walton, the event also included
a tradeshow outside of the hotel,
featuring 2,400 square feet of
manufacturers showing their wares,
which is a big draw for the event.
“For the most part, the corporate
reps participate in the program and
go to the banquet,” Bereznick said.
“They’re an integral part of the tour
every year.”
The event also featured guest
speakers and this year’s were
fantastic, Bereznick said. The topics
covered included research being
conducted to allow syrup viability to
be tested on-site; reverse osmosis, a
system many producers use to help
retain sweetness in sap by removing
excess water; social media and
website development for producers;
forestry management for maple
bushes and local flora and fauna.
“I think we covered a wide
spectrum,” Bereznick said.
The tour also covered significant
ground, Bereznick said, as some
producers had 350 taps while others
had tens of thousands. The tour also
included unique stops like a bottling
factory and Freedom Syrup, which
Bereznick said is a fascinating place.
Freedom Syrup, located on Jeff
McGavin’s farm just outside of
Walton, is a volunteer-run
organization that donates all the
proceeds from the syrup they
produce to the families of fallen
soldiers.
“What they do is just miraculous,”
he said. “I’ve been on over 30 of
these tours and I’ve never seen
anything like what they do
anywhere.
“There are a lot of people who
donate funds to charities, like the
silent and live auctions we have at
the tours which, in 2008, went to
Alzheimer’s [research], but to have a
whole operation run by volunteers
and to turn the money back to the
veterans and survivors of fallen
soldiers. it’s just unheard of,”
Bereznick said. “They are miracle
workers and I’m glad we were able
to visit.”
There are 11 chapters across
Ontario, and each takes a turn
hosting the event, Bereznick said.
The Grey-Bruce Chapter last hosted
the event in 2008.
The tours have been going on for
decades, Bereznick said, likely since
the association was formed in 1966.
Next year’s tour is set for
Brockville, which Bereznick said
will be a good event, bringing in
visitors from Quebec.
Provincial association tours Huron maple sites
The road to freedom
Freedom Syrup just outside of Walton has been making headlines locally for years, but last
week, the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association, including producers from Ontario,
Quebec and the United States, saw what all the fuss was about, hearing about the company
and its mission to aid the families of fallen soldiers from the horse’s mouth: Bob Rowe, the man
behind the company, and his wife Colleen Elliott, pictured below. (Denny Scott photo)
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