Aroostook Maple Producers Eager For Maine Maple Weekend To Offset Covid-19 Losses

Among those who remember exactly when the COVID-19 pandemic stopped time in 2020, it’s a good bet Maine maple producers are near the top of the list. Virus restrictions that began last March caused the postponement and, for some, the cancellation of Maine Maple Sunday Weekend, an event state officials said can make or break a small producer’s bottom line. “Most producers report that they can make 50 percent or more of their annual sales in the two-day Maine Maple Sunday Weekend event,” Scott Dunn, president of the Maine Maple Producers Association, said Thursday. “The 38th annual event will certainly look and feel a bit different due to the pandemic, but we’re ready,” Dunn said. As March’s cold nights and increasingly warmer days start sap flowing, sugarhouses in Aroostook County and across the state hope Maple Weekend will bring not only people, but a welcome economic boost to an industry that felt some of the first effects of the COVID-19 shutdown. Most of the state’s producers reported overall losses in 2020, but good sales throughout the year — including to wholesalers — helped, Dunn said, and demand for locally produced maple products is growing. Maine has about 450 licensed maple producers who make more than 575 gallons of syrup per year.