The maple trees and sugarhouse are located in picturesque Benson, along the shores of Lake Champlain in the western part of Vermont.
Jeff’s love for maple sugaring started at an early age for him as he started working in the sugar woods with his grandfather as soon as he was big enough to carry sap bucket covers. Jeff continued to work in his grandfather’s sugar woods, where he introduced his wife Julie and their two daughters, Meriah and Kerigan, to his passion for sugaring.
In 2012 they purchased the property in Benson, which included 130 acres, and that autumn began running the miles of sap lines that would become Rocky Ridge Sugarworks. The first trees were tapped for the 2013 season and the sap was sold in bulk to area sugar makers. In 2014, they built the sugarhouse and purchased the equipment to begin processing their own maple products for the 2015 season. The farm has since grown from 800 taps in the first year to 1,600 taps currently. In 2023 the sugarhouse was expanded with an addition to accommodate a new chill tank, which allows us to be able to store concentrated sap.
In the sugarhouse we utilize Reverse Osmosis technology to remove some of the water prior to boiling. This greatly reduces boiling time and wood consumption in our highly efficient wood fired evaporator.
In the sugar woods we utilize sustainable forestry practices to ensure healthy trees and promote wildlife habitat. We use modern tubing systems under high vacuum to increase our yields and keep bacteria from entering in to the trees to extend the length of the season.
