In 1986 Burke's Honey Ltd. expanded its line by introducing Maple Valley Farms pure maple syrup. Canada is the world's largest producer of pure maple syrup. Being another pure food product, it fits in well with our line of products.

In our Canada Food Inspection Agency inspected plant we can pack a wide range of containers, from 50 mL up to four Litres in plastic jugs, glass bottles, or metal cans. Glass bottles are the popular choice, allowing customers to see the product. Plastic jugs offer the advantage of being lighter and more break resistant, which is important if being shipped a great distance. Metal tins are the old traditional choice, and are break resistant, but can rust on the outside in a high moisture environment. We are happy to work with our customers to provide something just right for their needs. Although we can handle any grade of maple syrup our customers require, our preference is the Canada No. 1 medium grade. It has a good maple flavour, is light in colour, and seems to be most widely preferred grade.

We currently supply grocery stores, health food stores, fruit markets, gift and department stores with our maple syrup. We are confident that you will find it a quality product. Please give our sales department a call to fill your requirements.

Canada is the world's largest producer of pure maple syrup. Each spring thousands of maple trees are tapped for their sweet sap. It takes approximately 40 litres of sap to produce one litre of pure maple syrup.

In years gone by, wooden buckets, and later metal pails were hung on metal spiles which were hammered into a hole drilled into the trunk of the maple tree. Cold frosty nights and warm sunny days cause the sap to move up from the roots and drip into the pails. The sap was collected several times a day by horse drawn sleighs carrying a large vat. The vat was then drawn to the sugar shack where a wood fired evaporator boiled off the excess water form the sap. This left the thick maple syrup.

Today, most maple operations collect the sap by pipeline. Each tree is connected by plastic pipe directly to the boiling facility. Reverse osmosis machines remove about half of the water from the sap, reducing the amount of energy needed to boil the sap into syrup. Oil or propane fired evaporators allow better control of the boiling process, producing a better quality syrup. The closed pipeline system also improves the syrup's quality, keeping our foreign objects which can fall into the open pails or tanks.

Pure Canadian maple syrup is graded into five classes according to colour and taste. Canada No. 1 Extra Light syrup is almost clear and has a very mild maple flavour. It is used primarily in the making of maple sugar. Canada No. 1 Light and Canada No. 1 Medium syrup are each slighter darker in colour and stronger in maple flavour than the previous grade. These two grades are most commonly used by consumers; they make an excellent syrup for pancakes, ice cream, waffle's, cereal or oatmeal, on slices of fresh fruit, and even eaten all by itself. Canada No. 2 Amber syrup is darker and stronger again, and is often used in baking, the stronger maple flavour carries through better. Canada No. 3 Dark syrup is very dark in colour and strong in taste. Its primary use is as a flavouring ingredient in food manufacturing, and is not suitable for table use.

Burke's Honey Ltd. can supply you with high-quality Canadian maple syrup, in the quantity, grade, and container you require.