Quebec’s Maple Syrup Industry: Statistics and Production
According to the website of the Producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec (PPAQ), there are 13,300 maple producers operating across 8,000 businesses. In 2024, their production reached 239 million pounds of maple syrup. The average yield was 4.47 pounds per tap, a record high for the maple syrup industry!
Production Quotas in Maple Syrup Farming
Booming in 2024, this production is subject to a quota system, meaning that to produce and sell maple syrup or maple water in containers larger than 5 litres, producers must hold a quota certificate issued by the PPAQ. The certificate is granted for a specific location and for a designated quantity of maple water, in liters, or maple syrup, in pounds.
The primary goal of maple syrup quota management is to align supply with consumer demand. It also serves three additional purposes:
- To stabilize selling prices for producers and, ultimately, purchase prices for consumers.
- To encourage investment in the maple syrup sector.
- To maintain a consistent number of active maple syrup businesses, regardless of their size.
Maple syrup production in the Outaouais region
In the Outaouais region, as of 2024, there are 51 businesses that report operating a sugarbush. For most of them, maple production is the main source of agricultural income. That said, all producers are concerned with three important elements:
- Maintaining the sustainability of the sugar bush.
- Promoting biodiversity.
- Preserving the integrity of the product during the transformation of maple sap into syrup.
Maple species used for production
The essential raw material for maple syrup production is the tree! There are more than 150 species of maple trees around the world, but only 4 are used to produce syrup:
- Sugar maples (70 %)
- Red maples (29 %)
- Silver and black maples (1 %)
The maple water harvest
To collect maple sap, the trees must be tapped. This involves drilling a hole about 5 cm deep using a drill or auger, then inserting a spout (called a tap) into the hole. A bucket is hung from the tap, or tubing is attached to carry the sap to the sugar shack.
The maximum number of taps per healthy maple tree depends on its diameter.
| Diameter of the maple tree trunk measured at a height of 1.30 m (4.3 ft) above the highest ground level | Number of taps |
| Less than 20 cm (8 inches) | 0 |
| 20 to 40 cm (8 to 16 inches) | 1 |
| 40 to 60 cm (16 to 23.6 inches) | 2 |
| 60 cm (23.6 inches) and more | 3 |
The miracle of the maple run happens in spring, from early March to late April, when nighttime temperatures drop below 0°C and daytime temperatures rise around 5 to 6°C. Maple sap, which is about 97% water, must be evaporated to become syrup.
It takes about 40 liters of maple sap to produce 1 liter of syrup. The classification of maple syrup is unique to Quebec. There are 4 grades of maple syrup, identified by color, which reflect the syrup’s flavor profile.
- Golden (Delicate Taste)
- Amber (Rich Taste)
- Dark (Robust Taste)
- Very Dark (Strong Taste)
A maple syrup producer who holds a quota can market their syrup in two ways. They may sell it directly to the public in small containers, or to the PPAQ in containers larger than 5 liters, typically 45 gallon barrels. These barrels are destined for the strategic maple syrup reserve, which ensures a steady supply to national and international markets regardless of the annual harvest.
Innovations in the maple syrup industry
The maple syrup industry is constantly evolving thanks to equipment that enables the development of new products. The latest innovation is maple nectar, a concentrated maple sap produced using an electric evaporator that allows low temperature evaporation without cooking, meaning no caramelization occurs. This natural sweetener, which does not require refrigeration, is intended for the agri-food industry market.
Cooking temperatures and maple products
- Maple water must reach 104 °C to become syrup with a proper sugar content.
- Boil the maple syrup to 112 °C, then quickly cool it in an ice bath to make maple butter.
- To make maple taffy on snow, heat the syrup to 114 °C.
- For a block of maple sugar, the taffy must be heated to 120 °C while stirring constantly.
A few statistics
- Quebec produces nearly 70% of the world’s maple syrup and over 90% of Canada’s total production.
- 85% of the syrup produced in Quebec is exported to more than 60 countries around the globe.
- Maple sap contains 2 to 3% sugar, while maple syrup has about 66%, and maple butter contains between 86 and 87% sugar.
- The more water evaporates, the more concentrated the sugar becomes!
- Maple trees typically grow between 10 and 40 meters tall.
- A single sugar maple yields about 50 liters of sap per year.
References
- Site Web des Producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec (PPAQ)
- Règlement sur le contingentement des producteurs et productrices acéricoles chapitre M-35.1, r. 8.1
- La production acéricole biologique : Principes et normes, Journée acéricoles 2017