Mader’s Maple
Mighty Fine Maple Syrup
The Story of Our Pure Wisconsin Maple Syrup
The Mader’s Maple story of creating small-batch, pure Wisconsin maple syrup started as a hobby. After retiring from working at the paper mill in Park Falls, Wisconsin, Jeff Mader was looking for new activities to fill his free time, something he could do together with Becky, his wife. Enter maple syrup.
As avid outdoor enthusiasts, Jeff and Becky Mader had already spent much of their lives hunting, fishing, and exploring in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. So a hobby that brought Jeff and Becky closer to nature was a natural fit. With their home and large land plot on Highway 70 in Fifield, Wisconsin, the groundwork — hundreds of sugar maple trees — was already laid. It was simply a matter of turning a natural process into a delicious syrup.
As family members recall Jeff saying early in 2021, “I think I’d like to try making maple syrup this year.” But, that experiment quickly transformed into a love affair. The operation rapidly grew to several hundred tapped trees and more than 500 gallons of pure maple syrup in the span of two years. With the invaluable help of Becky, who still works full-time as a nurse, Mader’s Maple now produces several varieties of maple syrup, with more in the works.
What Makes Our Maple Syrup Different?
If you haven’t had small-batch, pure maple syrup before, you may be surprised at how much different it is compared to the syrup you find on store shelves.
For starters, you’ll notice the ingredients label on Mader’s Maple bottles is short and sweet, just like our syrup. We have only a handful of ingredients in our pure maple syrup — pure maple syrup and the natural flavor additions that make up our different varieties. After all, that’s what makes our maple syrup pure. There are no additive ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or dyes to alter the color. Because of the process and minimal additions to our syrup, you’ll find it’s thinner than store-bought syrup. But that’s how maple syrup is naturally supposed to be. While we can’t make any guarantees, once you’ve had our natural, pure Wisconsin maple syrup, you’ll have a hard time ever using big-brand maple syrup again.
Our Pure Maple Syrup Varieties
Handcrafted in Fifield, Wisconsin
Jeff and Becky were both born and raised in Park Falls, Wisconsin. Jeff spent his working years at the paper mill in Park Falls, while Becky has worked as a nurse at hospitals throughout the Northwoods. So, who exactly are the two old guys on the Mader’s Maple bottle?
Well, the two old guys are where the Mader’s Maple story starts. On the left is Bob Mader, who lives outside of Park Falls on Newman Lake with his wife, and Jeff’s mom, Donna. On the right is the late Bill Merten, Becky’s dad, who is survived by his wife and Becky’s mom, Carol. They instilled a love of the outdoors in Jeff and Becky, and Bob & Donna Mader live on a tract of land on Newman Lake that’s home to plenty of Wisconsin activities, too. In the fall, it’s deer hunting season. But as winter fades, and spring emerges, that land is also part of the Mader’s Maple production.
There are many small syrup operations in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, which is what Mader’s Maple began as. But the simple math of how much sap you need to produce maple syrup means you need quite a few maple trees (sugar maples to be specific) to produce enough maple syrup to sell. In fact, it takes roughly 40 gallons of sugar maple sap for Mader’s Maple to produce just one gallon of its signature maple syrup.
Featured Flavor: Bourbon Flare
Through our partnership with Wisconsin-based distiller J. Henry & Sons, we’ve created a special flavor of maple syrup that will have a special appeal to Wisconsinites. Using bourbon barrels from J. Henry, we impart the bourbon flare into our maple syrup that can give your pancakes a little kick or elevate your adult beverage—perhaps an Old Fashioned?
Frequently Asked Questions
WHERE CAN I FIND MADER'S MAPLE SYRUP?
While we are currently working to get Mader’s Maple into the hands of select retailers in the greater Wisconsin Northwoods, we currently sell our various maple syrup varieties through our online store.
What If I Have a Maple Syrup Variety Suggestion?
We’re constantly brainstorming new flavors of maple syrup to experiment with and make larger batches of. If you don’t see one you’d like, we’d encourage you to reach out with your feedback. And although we may not currently have it in stock, that doesn’t mean we haven’t thought about or already experimented with that flavor profile.
How much maple syrup does mader's maple make in a season?
In the spring, we’ll tap over 2,000 sugar maple trees on our land and produce over 300 gallons of maple syrup. That’s more than 12,000 gallons of sap that we collect from our trees. While it varies from season to season because of the weather, our small batches are meticulously crafted for your taste buds.
Do You Ship Your Maple Syrup Outside of Wisconsin?
Yes! Because the syrup travels well, we do ship it outside of Wisconsin to customers inside the U.S.