Latest / Creative Roots Podcast / There’s More to a Maple Tree Than Syrup - Nicole Bentler | Ep.71

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There’s More to a Maple Tree Than Syrup - Nicole Bentler | Ep.71 · Creative Roots Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_04: When you look at the ingredients, it literally says maple water.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Water at that time was a super easy commodity to get.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you grab it from the lake, the rivers, the streams.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, fast forward today, and our water source is very different.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_04: I'm nitpicky.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_04: That's what it is.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_04: I'm a little picky about what I eat.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I can feel it like hydrating me so quick, especially if I have it like on an empty stomach, like first thing in the morning, or if I haven't eaten in a while.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_04: We had to do certain things to get to where we wanted to be.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_04: And this is not even, this isn't even our final destination.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_03: Truth in the air, let it speak.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_04: So listen, y'all.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome back to another episode of Creative Roots Podcast where seeing sown become visions grown.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_04: I am your host, Tay, and we are sitting here with Nicole Bentler from Pocono Maplewater.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_04: I've got so many, I've got questions.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_04: I have I want to learn more about this.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_04: But I'm gonna let you introduce yourself and then I'll go on my rant, and then I'll, you know, we'll get into it from there.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: No, sounds good.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, so I'm the founder of Pocono Maple Water.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Maple water is not a new product, it's actually been around for hundreds of years.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Native Americans used to use it before going on long journeys or for celebratory between, you know, the winter and the spring season was really celebrated for its healing properties.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just one of the cleanest sources of water you can get on the planet because it's the very first thing that comes out of the tree.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, this is a lot of people are so shocked.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, wait, so the first thing that comes out of the tree is water.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you climb trees as a kid, you think, you know, it's gonna be like more like syrup or sap.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: So you boil down maple water or sap to make maple syrup.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so yeah, so we launched it um just about a year ago.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's been doing so well.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: We've been getting so many great reviews and just people writing in.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's really great if you're like not feeling well, or we have a girl that has lupus and she swears that it's just really helped her um recover and just hydrate and uh feel a lot better.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, so we're getting like more and more stories like that.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: So we're super excited that we're able to bring it to the public and and really kind of get it out there.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: We still do syrup, you know, we still are part of a 450-acre farm.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: So, like I was telling you earlier when I got on the call, like it's there's there's a hundred things going on here at the farm.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: But um what we love about what we did, we actually trademarked what's in your water.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so you can actually come and visit the land and there's like complete transparency.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, unfortunately, right now in the market, when it comes to beverages and there's not as much transparency.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like we've done such a good job as a society to ask for transparency in like our food.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember like when organic produce came out, and everyone's like, no one's gonna buy organic, nobody cares.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then like fast forward to today, and like everyone cares about where their you know eggs are being sourced and where their beef's being sourced, and and their cheese and everything.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's kind of very similar in the sense that like I think we should just start asking the same questions when it comes to our water and like our beverages that we're drinking.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_04: I agree because a term that I don't like hearing, a statement, it's just water.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_04: Like water has a different taste, and I've always well, what's wrong with your taste buds if you can't taste the difference?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know, there are some waters that have you like why would you make this?
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_04: Then there are other waters that are like just too much flavor, it's not even water anymore, it's like diet Kool-Aid.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_04: You know, this is just sweet.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um but with with this, the the Poconot maple water my taste buds are very different from a lot of people.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_04: Um if you go back and look at the the Thanksgiving episodes from 2025, you will understand.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_04: But to me, this tastes like right there with pure leaf sweet tea.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, it's just sweet enough for you to say I can taste it, but it's not too sweet where it's like ew, that's nasty.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know, so yeah, and that's that's what I love about it.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, even my even one of my sons said the same thing.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_04: He's like, it tastes like it tastes more like tea.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm like, you know what?
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_04: You're right.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_04: But I like it though.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_04: I actually do like it.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: No, I've had so many people do different things with it.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like some people will add salt, some people will add lemon.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: It actually makes really good ice cubes too.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, I have people that actually use it in their iced tea as like ice cubes.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or you can have to try it.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: You can you can also put whiskey over the ice cubes.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: That's also been a fan favorite.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that we we just uh did another podcast and it was like an in-person podcast, and they were like also did cocktails, and so they're like, Can we do something fun with it?
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Yeah, like I'm like, I actually we have people that swear by like using them as like ice cubes and pouring whiskey over it.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so yeah, there's a lot of really great use usage for it.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the way I like to explain it, it's kind of like an elevated water.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be like more like a spring water with like a subtle maple finish, with you know, that slight earthy tones.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but what I love about it, I don't know if you've noticed this yet or not, but it hydrates you a lot faster.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like I can feel my body, and I hear it from other people all the time, but me personally as well, I can feel it like hydrating me so quick, especially if I have it like on an empty stomach, like first thing in the morning, or if I haven't eaten in a while, like, or if I'm not feeling well, um, you can feel it kind of line your gut um with like the because you think about it, it's essentially the water that's bringing the tree back to life.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: So like the maple tree goes into like a hibernation state.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: So all the water comes out of it um in November and December when when the temperature starts freezing, because if there's water inside the tree and it freezes, it'll combust and kill the tree.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: So the tree goes into a hibernation state, and so it'll be high in a hibernation state until the wall the temperature starts fluctuating to come back into spring.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so we have a really short season, it's only six weeks, but essentially it's that water that's coming back to the tree to basically bring it back to life.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: So it has all those vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from the soil.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's what, like there's nothing added.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like a lot of other companies, like coconut waters and things like that, they'll add more potassium and it's also done overseas.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: So like it's not as it's not like um a beverage that's like American made or being processed here in the States.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that that's another thing to kind of think about too, is a lot of times they're we're getting marketed that things are super healthy, and then you like you look at it and it's like, but that are adding all this stuff, and that's made in a lab, and how healthy is it, you know?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_04: Because speaking of that, when you look at the ingredients, it literally says maple water.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_04: Yep, not maple water, potassium, sodium, magnesium.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_04: There's only one ingredient straight into the bottle.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_04: Because your slogan is from farm to bottle.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_04: No additives, nothing extra.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_04: And to your point, yes, we we do see a lot of organic foods and water, and it's like, but why does it have all this stuff, you know?
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_04: You go and get something to drink and it says juice, and then you look at the back and it says contains 10% juice.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm like, so you just stretched it and added some sugar to give it flavor.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_04: Nothing's added here, and I'm not the type of person to brag on a product unless I like it, and I really do like it.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_04: And you might hear me say that multiple times, but for me it's very subtle, you know, and you just gave a whole science lesson of how and why this process is taken care of, uh, how this process goes.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_04: So my question is what got you started on this journey and discovering how to pull this water from the trees?
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Well, so it's like I was saying, it's been around for hundreds of years.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like nothing that I kind of created.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, um maple indigenous people really, you know, showed um, you know, new Americans basically how to make, you know, get sap um from the maple trees, you know, hundreds of years ago and then turn it into maple syrup.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Maple syrup kind of really took off um, you know, late 1800s, early 1900s when you couldn't get sugar in the Northeast.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's why kind of a lot of people know what maple syrup is, is because water at that time was a super easy commodity to get.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: You, you know, you grab it from the lake, the rivers, the streams.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, fast forward today, and our water source is very different.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but so my background, I'm originally from the Pocono Mountains.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I traveled pretty extensively.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: I worked in health, wellness, and fitness.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my family struggled with health and, you know, when I was growing up and I was a teenager.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I was really kind of pulled to like health, wellness, and fitness in my 20s.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: I really wanted to, you know, change the world and make a difference.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I worked at the Philadelphia sports clubs in Philadelphia.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: Then I moved to um Florida and I helped open up Flywheel Studios.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then also was in the raw juice.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: I was with Delicious Raw, helping them open up a few stores um in Naples and then in South Florida.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it was kind of interesting to see the polar contrast of clients.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And you would think that they're kind of one and the same, but they're so vastly different.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I would see people like in the gym just, you know, working out so hard to basically make up for the night before or whether they were drinking or ate a tray of pizza or whatever it was, and they'd be like just like punishing their bodies for the most part, not all of them.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then when I worked for Delicious Raw, it was such a different clientele.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like they were drinking, you know, raw juice.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: They were coming in for something that was like real and fresh, and they were just happier, honestly.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it was wild to me the contrast in clients because they both cared about like health, wellness, fitness, you know, was kind of top of mind.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so, anyways, you know, fast forward, we ended up really the maple farm kind of fell into our laps.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it wasn't something that I was like out searching for.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: It was just, it's such a magical farm.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's so beautiful.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: We have a private lake, and you know, my family's here.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: So like I wanted to do something closer to my family.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: My brother has a couple kids, and I wanted to have a reason to come home.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't recommend going out and buying a maple farm to anybody because it's it's a lot of work.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, not very financially smart.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I will say it's it's such an amazing labor of love.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what we've been able to create in such a short amount of time.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the first five years, we really just put a lot of money back into the farm and really getting it to a place where we can offer tours and tastings and do more educational stuff here at the farm.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: So it's amazing.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like we have some of these inner city kids and these groups that come from New York City and Philadelphia, and they don't necessarily get a chance to be like out in nature like we are, and then like to tell them like this comes out of the maple tree first, and it's water and it's actually really healthy and great to consume.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then we turn this into maple syrup, and they're like just mind-blown, and we walk them through the property and we show them, you know, the tube.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: We have this huge tubing system, so we have 350 miles of tubing.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so oh wow, yeah, and so and the maple season is in the winter, really, like early spring winter.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: So my guys start tapping, usually mid-January, and we tap anywhere from 22 to 25,000 trees.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: And then um we basically once everything's tapped, we then have to walk each line individually to make sure that there's no holes in the lines because like squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, all of those critters all like chew on the lines for the for the sap and anything that gets stuck in the line.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: So then basically it's a vacuum pressure system.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: So they're basically trying to get the vacuum pressure up so that way we can pull as much maple water or sap back to the sugar shack and essentially turn that into maple syrup, or if we're making maple water that day, we'll be putting it through our maple water process.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_04: That's a very intense process.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_04: And you said it's 450 acres.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_04: How do y'all get through that in six weeks though?
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I know it's possible because you do it, but like, yeah, that's a lot.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the hiring process, we always usually lose like half of the people we hire within the first like week or so.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it definitely takes a very unique individual.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we usually have a lot of seasonal guys that like are cattle farmers or dairy farmers.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: So what's great, and and most traditionally, mostly maple farms were run as a cattle or dairy in the summer.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then in the winter, there's not as much to do.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: The the the cows are inside because of the snow and stuff like that.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it's like one of those things that like all the guys, and you know, it's what I love about maple and sugaring is is it's it's very much like a family community event.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: You kind of get, you know, your aunt and uncle and your cousins and this person, and like we just try to recruit everybody.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: And everybody comes out and it's like such a fun, it's it's really like 10 weeks.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's six weeks of harvest, but it takes us about two or three weeks to really tap everything, and then like a week to two weeks to like really leak check everything.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, it's a very unique individual that loves being outside, doesn't mind the cold temperature, likes hiking.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I think what's really cool is you're it's not like a BS type job, you know, that's out there these days.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like you get to really see like your hard work turn into like a real product and then full circle, we do um uh Maple Open House at the end of our sugar season.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so the whole community comes out, and like my guys get to do tours and tastings with like the general public.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's really fun for them to be able to show off their work and their hard work and really just tell people about the process.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, I think that that's something that has come in the last eight years.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like everyone's asked me, like, you know, what's like the biggest thing that you've learned?
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, would you what would you recommend?
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, just run, don't do it.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: But um joking aside, like it's been amazing to see the hard work we have put in come full circle when we have guests on property.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: They're just like blown away by the process.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I think what's also really cool is we have, you know, school groups that come through and they get to meet like the the guys that do the the sugaring and they get to see a totally different line of work that they didn't know existed.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm one of the only female um maple farm owned and manage maple farms in the country.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: There's a there's a very few of us, and most of it is is older men that have you know been raised and born in it, but a lot of younger people have left because it's super labor intensive.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's amazing that I and I'm starting to see it now with some of the new hires that we've brought in for for our sugar season.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like the 20-year-olds are super excited to be out in the woods and doing something with their hands.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: And um, where for a minute there, you know, I think we we were kind of had like the iPad kids that like the iPads first came out and like they were just like they wanted to be on their phone and they wanted to be, they only wanted to be like, you know, fitness or uh influencers or whatever.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think we're like, I think we've we've curved that, I hope.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um because we are starting to see some kids that really want to come in and though they're excited to work hard, they're excited to see, you know, the fruits of their labor.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: So so I'm I'm hoping for a good season this year.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll see.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and you say that you bring the community in at the end of it all.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_04: Is that open to the public or is it just something local?
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's open to the public.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: We have people that drive all the way out from Philly, um, from New York City.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the farm is only two hours from New York City, two hours from Philadelphia.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we have people that come from Jersey.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: Jersey's really only an hour away from us.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we're kind of really central in that aspect.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: So we have, and like a lot of people don't realize this, and I didn't really realize it either until we kind of became part of this.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: But um, the Poconos actually brings in over five billion dollars in revenue yearly in tourism revenue.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of people are here for, you know, skiing and snow tubing, and in the summer they're hiking.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of why we started doing these tours and tastings every weekend is people are always looking for stuff to do.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of times people are here with their whole family.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: So they're they've got grandma that's 80, they've got a five-year-old.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: What's something that everyone can do together?
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: And they everybody loves it.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like they they come in, they get to try maple syrup, they get to hear about the process.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we have 450 acres, so what's great is like they can run around, they can go down to the boat house.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: The boat house is really beautiful.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: This time of year, we do maple sundays.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: So, like everybody at the end of the tour and tasting, everyone gets a little maple sundae.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, not a lot of people know this, but maple syrup is amazing on ice cream.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's like caramel sauce and it's so healthy for you.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I talk about that a lot.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, a lot of people don't realize, but maple syrup is actually really healthy for you.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the stuff in the store is like all corn syrup and preservatives and things like that.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: So uh it's fun for people to be like, oh wow, I can use this on ice cream.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I didn't, I never thought about that.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_04: But I mean, I don't eat ice cream like that, but yeah.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I I guess it makes sense, you know, is because of the sweetness that it has.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you put it on almost, you know, anything for breakfast.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_04: Why not put it on your dessert, right?
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: And well, we also, so we do a few favorite flavors too.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: So we have an elderberry maple that makes an amazing vinaigrette.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: So you literally, it's our elderberry maple syrup in it, it's all organic, all kosher, and then it has organic kosher elderberries in it.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: So really great for you if you're traveling.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: You can just do a tablespoon of it.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: But it's literally the elderberry syrup, olive oil, a little bit of balsamic, and some like seasoning.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: You whisk that together and it is incredible on a salad.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then we also have a bourbon barrel aged, so it's aged in bourbon barrels, so it's a little bit more smoky.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that's amazing, like barbecue or salmon or chicken.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's it's very fun.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: We do a lot of fun, different things.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: We also have like a bourbon barrel-aged maple chili that we do in the fall for our fall fest.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: We'll probably be offering that.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like everybody goes crazy for it.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: So, uh, so yeah, we have a lot of fun with all things maple here.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_04: And all these dates, all these events that you all have.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_04: We we can find these on the website, correct?
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, okay.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_04: I'm I'm gonna have to go check out the website, see what day we can make some travel plans or something.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_04: We we'll have to talk about this.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_04: Um but I don't know what was all of that.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it's not just the water, you're also pulling the maple and creating the syrup, and then you're having these tours and these events specifically for people to see, know, and understand.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_04: You have schools coming to the farm.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_04: I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, but don't you just light up when the kids are there and it's just like a huge wow factor to them?
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, it does.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: It it definitely, like I said, it's it's such a huge labor-intensive operation, you know, farming in general, and then maple farming is also just so I think that that's kind of the the icing on the cake around here is when we get to have people come in and they're just in on, you inspire them, and you know, and then they they love it.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: And the other thing is is the educational component too, is like we tell them, you know, the stuff in the store necessarily isn't the greatest for you.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: So like knowing the difference between maple syrup and then we also just talk about the same thing with the water, you know, that was kind of one of the big things that we started the water is like just knowing and asking the questions, you know, especially if, you know, you're just your family doesn't ask those questions or you don't come from a healthy background, just like asking the questions like, hey, like, are these apples organic?
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: Did they come from the local farmers market?
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: The same thing with like whatever you're drinking, you know, where did it come from?
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: What's the process?
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I think getting them to ask those questions at such an early stage is only gonna set them up for such success as they continue to grow.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that us as a society in America, especially, we don't ask those questions.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: I think we're a hundred times better.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like when I was in Philadelphia in my 20s and working at the Philadelphia sports clubs, you know, it was like you'd meet a vegan and you were like, What?
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like you're like, what do you mean?
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: And like Like you know, that was you know 20 years ago, but now you fast forward to today, and I think people are really starting to ask those questions.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that we're just so blessed that we get to kind of continue that and getting people to ask those questions because the more educated you are, the better you can make better decisions.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: And and and then hopefully, hopefully that will change the trajectory of our food in our country.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I think for me it's the big picture.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's not so much like I love for you to buy maple water, it helps support our farm.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: Farming is not cheap.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but for me, it's also just like that ripple effect, right?
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, like just getting people to ask those questions and and then hopefully they don't buy as much Coca-Cola or Gatorade or this or that or whatever, and they buy something that's a little bit healthier for them.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: Or, you know, we we really truly hold these big corporations' feet to the fire and say, you know, they make so many healthier versions for other countries because half of the stuff is illegal for them to be processed in, you know, Europe and the UK.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, why can't you just do that for us?
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's you're already doing it.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think that for me, it's that big picture of, you know, educating the younger generation and having them ask those questions and then demanding a better product from these big corporations that it's very easy for them to do.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, maybe the margins aren't the same, but like you're gonna have a healthier, you know, customer and consumer at the end, and they're gonna want to eat and drink your products.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, why wouldn't you make the change?
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, because I don't understand the the purpose of all the additives, especially when you start with the organic original product anyway.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_04: You know, so many things are inflated other than you know, the financial stance and things are pumped, things are created to preserve.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_04: And why?
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_04: And I mean I can understand why, but at the same time, it's like if there's a uh cattle herder, right?
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_04: And that's all he does or she and they sell nothing but half cows, whole cows, why do we need them to be produced in California and then sit here?
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_04: We're here.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_04: You know, same thing with the water.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_04: You know, as a truck driver, I used to pick up orange juice in Florida and take it to Cali.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_04: And I would take oranges from Cali and bring them to Florida.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_04: And it's like, why not just use the oranges here?
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_04: Produce the oranges here and you know, call it a day.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_04: Now I can understand things like scarcity.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um this farm might not be as big as that one, and you might need to bring things in, but okay, you know, but we're here, you're here, let's eat and drink here.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_04: I'm I'm I'm done with my rent for that.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, it's it's a thousand percent true.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's exactly like you hear people that go to Europe all the time and they're like, the food is so fresh there, and it's it's because they're so much older than us.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: The the cities are more established, you know, a hundred years ago.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: And transportation wasn't what it was, you know, when we essentially, you know, in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, we started having transportation and we could transport one from one state to the next, and then it allowed these big corporations to come in and essentially like, we're gonna process everything in Florida and we'll we'll pay for the trucking.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas, you know, a hundred years ago, 200 years ago, that wasn't the case.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: And these older cities in Europe, they did such a great job really localizing their food source, and they relied on Johnny to give us the cows, and they relied on Peter that was doing the you know, pork, and somebody else was doing chickens, and they they really were able to establish community, and then you know, you're giving your family and everybody a healthier food source, um, versus, you know, because you know, just like you know, like as soon as you pick a fruit or whatever, it starts to lose um its nutrition.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're able to eat it when it's the freshest, that's the best time.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, so I do hope that, you know, us as Americans, you know, we start to change that.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I do think like, you know, we have so many people here that like love coming in.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: They love that we're local.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we we have a lot of accounts in New Jersey and New York and Philadelphia, and they like love that you can come to the farm and you can see like where the food's coming from.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I do think that that's starting to shift and change, and they don't want to buy these big name brands.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, thankfully, the internet has done such a good job exposing a lot of it.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: So it'll be interesting to see where we're at in another 50 years, and and I hope that we we truly get to like where we're able to support local farmers because I read like some crazy statistic, like I think it was on dairy farms, but I'm pretty sure like the same kind of goes for maple farms.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but like I think like 95% of dairy farms have closed in the last like hundred years.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so there's like five percent of farms that are like family owned um compared to like what it was a hundred years ago, or maybe it was 50 years ago.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: I forget exactly what it was.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'll have to find it and send it to you.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_00: But it was like mind-blowing to me, like that many dairy farms have either closed or gotten consumed by like big corporations.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_00: So uh, so yeah, so it's it's wild, but you know, I know saying that we also bought so like the Sunday ice cream that we do here, we actually buy it from Manning's Ice Cream, which is like a local dairy farm that's here.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like their ice cream is insane, but they don't add anything to it.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's like a local dairy farm, they have amazing milk.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think it's it's really just kind of creating that, and like people are are really starting starting to buy local again and not necessarily you know support these big corporations.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think if we have the opportunity to support local, we can and we should.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_04: Um because I know what I'm getting.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_04: And there's a connection between you and I as customer, own owner, founder, um the person that's doing this the this the things and being in your face, shaking your hand.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_04: Like that's a lot more personable.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_04: And I I know from just when when you watch movies or you go into a small town, right?
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_04: You can see that there's a connection to the community.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_04: And I I think a lot of people want that connection.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_04: Uh and then COVID hit, and that kind of like changed the trajectory of everything, if not everything that we do.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that's what lately has started to disconnect from everyone because some people still walk around with a mask on and they're not sick, they're not coughing, you know, there's nothing wrong with them.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_04: Um, we still have some people that are like, I'm not going outside, you know.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_04: So I feel being personal with your customers makes a big difference.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_04: So, yes, my local.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_04: So, Nicole, you say you kicked everything off last year, right?
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, but you've been doing it for five.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_04: I guess you just decided to turn it into a business last year, right?
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_04: And get everything up and running, and or was it just go ahead?
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: No, so um, so we've owned the farm for about eight years.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: The first five years, we were like really just putting a lot of money.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: We redid, so we have a big lake house that's here on the farm.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: We redid that so we could do rentals.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what's hard with with most farms is you kind of need several uh revenue streams to kind of sustain it.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_00: So um, just because it's just a lot of work, it's very seasonal too.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like maple farming for us is is about 10, 12 weeks all said and done.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's a six weeks harvest season.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but then so in the summer we do rentals.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we have six cabins, um, a pavilion and a yurt up there, along with a bathhouse.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: So we do a ton of family reunions in the summer.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we did the same thing with the the lake house here.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: We do a lot of family reunions.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes people we do weddings, so sometimes they rent the entire campground and the lake house out.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_00: So um between the two, we can sleep about 30, 35 guests.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it's it's usually really fun to kind of see these families come together and be able to really disconnect.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it's it's it's a lot of fun.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so that was a huge project and a huge undertaking.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: COVID actually happened during that construction, then we couldn't get any of the parts, like the construction.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_00: I thought I was gonna live in construction the rest of my life.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like I was like, this is gonna, this is never gonna end.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think we started construction in 2019 and I think we were done in like 2022 in the house.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um and we really didn't change too much.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but so, anyways, and then we also added um, I'm actually sitting in like we have a little store here on the farm.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we do our tours and tastings in here.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you can come in and you can buy syrup and you can buy maple water here at the store.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, next to us is is our office.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: And then we also have an apartment here for the caretaker that's here.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so it's just a lot of infrastructure things that we were kind of setting up so we could do what we wanted to do.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we added a greenhouse, we have an amazing garden.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: So we do some some farm to table stuff as well.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but that was like the first five years.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_00: So it was a lot.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we were also predominantly wholesaling, so we were just wholesaling.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_00: Ken is actually the biggest buyer when it comes to maple syrup.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think that's changed a lot now with all the tariffs and and things are changing.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm not really up to speed because now we just do mostly retail.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_00: So um people come in and they they buy their syrup directly from us, or we have a few local accounts as well and some in New Jersey and New York.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: But um so yeah, so we've really been doing tours and tastings almost three years, I would say, probably a little over two years.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: We've been doing tours and tastings um and having the general public come out and doing some of the events.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then we just launched Maple Water last year.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: So maple water is a brand new product.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_00: We this farm has been a working farm for over 200 years.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we kind of came in and we added some stuff down at the sugar shack and we extended the buildings and and did some structural things, but it's been a working farm.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: And like that's what's magical is like I feel so blessed that I get to be a steward of the land.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's you know, that there's been a lot of families that have lived here and have added to it and really been a part of it.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I think I'm very lucky and very blessed that I get to, you know, kind of put my hand on it and make it really beautiful.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: But like, you know, I don't think that I'll I'll necessarily have it forever.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that would be amazing.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: But I think she's way bigger than I can, you know, really take her.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: So um it'll be interesting to see where we're at in 10 years.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we have a a spring here on the farm.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: So we could also offer spring water.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um I envision us kind of turning into more of like a vineyard in California that you can go and visit, but like more on the water side.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll have a water saumonier here and we'll talk about the different types of water, kind of like you were saying in the beginning.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so talking about that, talking about sourcing.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think that there's there's so much room to grow.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the land is just so peaceful and magical.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's so funny.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: I literally caught like there was a hummingbird that like flew in here, I don't know, a month and a half or six weeks ago.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_00: And like I caught him and I was like, guys, come out here with your cameras.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'll have to send you the video.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I literally like just opened up my hand and I was like little hummingbird goes flying out.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, still like there's always like as much as hard as it is, as stressful as it is, there's always these amazing moments of magic.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think it's it's been incredible to be a part of that.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: And and you know, we'll see where we're at in 10 years.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_00: But I think I think, you know, the water has been so amazing to launch, but I think we we definitely need to take on a strategic partner that can help bring it to like its next level.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_04: So I I didn't know you did all of that, and I find it very intriguing, very knowledgeable, because with the mindset that I have, what I heard you just say was we had to do certain things to get to where we wanted to be.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_04: And this is not even this isn't even our final destination.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_04: You know, and then when you think about how you said the construction, like some things need to be built before they can be presented.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_04: And from a business standpoint and a creative standpoint, sometimes we want to present and then we have to scratch our heads to figure out how we're gonna build and we may never get there.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_04: And you said you know, there have been multiple families, so it's not like it's just been you, you know, you you said a hundred, two hundred years in the making.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_04: Certain things are already done, so it's like even if someone gives you gifts, gifts.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_04: I want to make sure that word is clear.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_04: Gifts, you something be a good steward of it.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_04: Like you said, steward in the land.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_04: You know, you're you're blessed to be in that place, right?
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_04: I know some people take certain things for granted.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_04: And it's one of those things that's like you never know what you got until it's gone.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, but you already knew what you had in the process.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_04: And that says a lot.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_04: That says a lot about you as a person, your character, your demeanor, the way you move.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_04: And what I think about you know, the tours and and the uh things like that, I don't hear, oh, I'm only here for the money.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, because it's like the money is needed to fund everything else.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, you have employees.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, we all want to get paid as a business owner, but I haven't heard you mention like, yeah, you know, and that I make this and I make that, and everything that you said is about other people.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_04: And and and I'm loving that because sometimes the conversation is all about me and us and what I did, and you have deflected all of that from yourself.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_04: And I I love when I can have a conversation with somebody and I ask them about them and they tell me about everybody else.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_04: It it's it's a character thing, you know.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_04: And knowing that you have all these things going on, all these people that come in and out, you have the tours, um, you have the tastings, how has the support been since you've been there?
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_04: Because because I'm I'm pretty sure you can attest to before, but since you've been here, how has the support system been for you and uh those that are with you, like your main team?
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, I think COVID hit hard a lot of the local businesses, like everybody I've talked to, and we've struggled here.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we've had turnover, you know, a lot of people romanticize the idea of farming, you know, especially right now.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think COVID also tipped that over the edge.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like everybody wanted to have chickens and cattle and stuff, and it's a lot of hard work.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_00: So uh so we get people in and they're like super excited to start, and then they realize like, oh no, like this is this is hard and it's it's there's a lot of commitment.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like we have two horses that are here on property, and everyone's like, why don't you guys get more animals?
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, because like that they're already enough to take care of.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_00: And like I travel a lot, and so like it's really like having the right people in place that I know that I can rely on because animals, you know, they don't care if it's snowing or sleeting or ice and you can't make it into work or XYZ.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so yeah, I think that the staffing's been pretty hard, but we have my brother's been amazing.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_00: I have cousins that have worked for me.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it becomes kind of like I was saying, like the maple season really brings everybody together.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_00: So we have a lot of people that are here every year just for maple season.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I also have a partner, Dante, um, who's really responsible for maple water.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_00: If it wasn't for him, we would have never gotten it off the ground.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: There was a lot of trying to figure out how, because maple syrup or sap or maple water is very similar to milk in a sense that it spoils.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_00: So you have about 24 to 48 hours to get it to the um our co-packer and making sure that it doesn't spoil and it has to be under a certain temperature.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_00: There's like so many things that go into it.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's its own like crazy puzzle to figure out.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so Dante's been amazing to have, and I've been so lucky and blessed to have him and his family.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_00: His whole family, like, we're like family now.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I actually have I've recruited my friend Ben, um, who's who's here from Wales visiting.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, can you come out to the farm for like two months and just keep an eye on things for me?
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, he's been here um, you know, helping and kind of just getting us in a into a good place throughout the summer and helping with rentals, rentals of really trying to take off this this summer.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_00: We've had a ton of people, a ton of family reunions.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: We had a wedding this year.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it's it's been amazing to see everybody come together and everybody really working together.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, we've we've definitely had our ebbs and flows when it comes to staffing.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_00: So um, but I think that that's everywhere.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_00: So um my hope is that we can create such an amazing team.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that that was part of the reason I came back to the Poconos was was, you know, I wanted to be closer to family.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_00: But the reason like really why we bought this farm and have kind of turned it into such um an agro-tourism hotspot is so that way, you know, like I left here because there was no really great places to work and it wasn't there was no like cool things to do, you know.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: You had your local supermarket and like a few other places, but um, you know, I think that we're really fortunate we get to have this amazing backdrop and nothing is too busy or too crazy.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, we're busy in maple season and we're busy on the weekends, but it's not something that's super high demanding.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so yeah, so it's it's it's been a wild ride, but we've had some really great people here.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_04: Awesome.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_04: So when you have your tours, is there like a certain amount of people that are allowed to be there?
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_04: Like, do you have like a uh a limit?
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, you can be.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we cut them off.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_00: So basically, you have to make um a tour and tasting reservation.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_00: 24 hours in advance, you reserve online.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: We're only open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so basically 24 hours in advance, you buy your ticket, and then you know, we are a farm, we are a working farm, so not everybody's around.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_00: So sometimes we've got people that are out in the woods, they're working the lines, they're taking care of the trees, um, or we have guests at the lake house.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: So they might be over at the lake house doing something for them.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, so basically you reserve online um a day before, you know, and then the next day you'll come in and you'll get to experience the farm and do the tour and tasting.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, okay.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I didn't know it was 24 hours.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um We have some people that like walk up before like the day of, like they're like, I know you guys are doing like a one I like it's not that big of a deal, but like if we don't have anybody scheduled, I get calls and like I won't be here on the farm and they'll be like, We're here for the tour and tasting.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, oh, did you make a reservation?
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um they're like, no.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, okay, well, like I'm somebody's there, but like I don't know where they are.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, let me see who I can get a hold of.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then it like becomes this like cat and mouse.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_00: But generally somebody's around the store, like either somebody's over at the office.
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_00: It just all depends.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_04: How long are the tours normally?
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we do a tasting, which is about 20 minutes, and then the tour end tasting is about 45 minutes to an hour.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it just depends on the size of the group.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_00: We also cut it off, we max at 15 guests.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_00: So we only take 15 guests at a time.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_00: So that way we can answer all the questions and everything like that.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we sell tickets for those online, but we do do open houses.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_00: So right now we're getting ready for our fall fest, which will be the September 26th, so the end of September.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_00: And that's open to the public.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we'll do free tours and tastings.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we do the same thing for our um our spring open house.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's free and open to the public, so you can come and you get to do a free tour and tasting and see whatever where everything that's going on here.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, so you you you all you make sure people know that they can visit at any time, and it is really built around a community.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um every business needs their own community.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_04: And I know every business would love for people to travel in.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_04: Um this is there's so many things that I'm just thinking about.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_04: Uh you know, just showing up for a tour 45 minutes, probably the best 45 minutes you'll have all week.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_04: You know, you have the natural water, you have the natural syrup.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_04: I think you you said that you have a basically.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_04: A vinaigrette, you have these different flavors.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_04: So I know for me, um, I'm one of those type of people that if I go somewhere, I what does I want to taste this?
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_04: I want to taste it.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_04: Like I'm a taster, right?
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_04: I don't, I don't I'm nitpicky.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_04: That's what it is.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_04: I'm I'm I'm a little picky about what I eat.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_04: So even if I know what I want, I'm still gonna browse the menu just in case I want something different.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, but no yeah, we have um I don't know if I have it here, but we also have this Nutella.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: We actually don't make it here at the farm.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_00: So we at the store, I can I can walk you guys around.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but we have this maple going on a tour.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, are you guys ready?
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_00: So there's a maple sriracha mustard that a lot of people love.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we also have so we've got some cool variety packs, these do really well.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um we've got a maple cheddar that everybody loves.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, these are some maple pecans.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: We've got maple popcorn.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um we've got a maple peanut butter, which is literally just peanuts and maple syrup.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_00: There's no palm oils, there's no like junk in it, so it's like really healthy for you.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we also have a cinnamon roll maple cream, which is amazing on toast.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_00: And again, like we're really specific about what we we have here in the store.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it doesn't have any like fillers or anything added.
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_00: It is all maple, so we've got like a maple barbecue sauce, maple hot sauce.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, so we've got a couple, we've got a whole bunch of different pancake mixes.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_00: My personal favorite is the birthday cake pancake mix, which has like confetti or sprinkles in it, which is the kids love.
• 45:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then we have some maple coffee, and we've got some fun swag and maple candies.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_00: The maple candies do really well as well.
• 46:03
  SPEAKER_00: So it really just it's it's it's really fun for people to come in.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_00: We usually have more than just syrup.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_00: You get to try either like the cheese or we also have a maple cream, which is like a thick, it's really great on toast as well.
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you get to try a little bit of everything.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_04: Wow.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_04: Blown away.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_04: And is all of that on the Pocono Maple Water website?
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_00: On our farm website.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_00: So it's Pocono Mountain Maple is our sister company.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_00: So Pocono Mountain Maple is the farm, and then Pocono Maple Water is essentially our water.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_00: So they're they're separate, but essentially sisters.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_04: Well, we'll need to link that down below.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_04: So can you let people know?
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_04: Let me, yeah.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_04: Can you let people know?
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_04: Or you just let them know where to find um the water and the maple.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_04: Can you let people know where they can contact you directly if they want to get in contact with you?
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, of course.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm on all the social media channels.
• 47:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and really my personal number is on the website.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_00: It rings directly to my cell phone.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so cause so that way if I'm not here on the farm personally, I can still kind of manage some things.
• 47:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you can always contact me through there.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, then our maple water is poconomaplewater.com.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_00: Very easy.
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you can go on, you can have a it basically gets delivered to your door.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_00: You can subscribe, it gets delivered to your door every month.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_00: You can either do 12 or 24.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_00: So what I like to tell people is like I love drinking it first thing in the morning.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_00: It helps me recover, fills me up.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't, it makes me less hungry throughout the day.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you use it however you want.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_00: But basically you have 24, so you'll have one every day.
• 47:49
  SPEAKER_00: Or if your kids like it, you can you can obviously get more.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then the the maple farm is Pocono Mountain Maple.com and you can go on there.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_00: We always have either our fall festival or something.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_00: We do quarterly events, so there's always something that um we have coming up.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you can also order maple syrup directly from our website.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_00: You can get it shipped directly to your door.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_00: We work with a lot of local Airbnbs.
• 48:15
  SPEAKER_00: They use like our little variety packs as like welcome gifts.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_00: They make really great for um Christmas time, a lot of times, like holidays, everyone's buying stuff for like their office and for their employees.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_00: So we sell a lot of our variety packs, um, make really great gifts, um, especially if you're here visiting the Poconos or you want to give somebody something that's just not alcohol.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's it's it's great for the mailman, it's great for, you know, the house cleaner or whoever you have that like you're like, I don't know what to get them, but they're like always helping me out all year round.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like I want to give them something.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so Christmas is always like the fall season.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_00: I was just having this conversation with my team.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, the fall season's so busy for us, even though we don't necessarily make maple syrup in the season in the in the fall, but like everybody loves maple syrup in the fall.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think because it's like in everything pumpkin and it's just hearty and sweet.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_00: So uh, so yeah.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, cool, cool, cool.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_04: So last question.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_04: For those that are thinking about starting a business or those that are wanting or thinking about, you know, starting a farm, regardless of what kind of farm it is, what advice would you give to them?
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I think it's the same as like I've given like my family.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think like go and work on a farm before you buy a farm.
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it'd be my recommendation to see like how much work goes into it.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure that you're gonna love it.
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because it's not something that you just jump into.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's kind of one of those things, it's a lifelong commitment in some senses.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_00: So making sure that that lifestyle fits your lifestyle.
• 49:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we're raised in such a different way than you know, our grandparents were raised.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like they were raised with chickens and cows, and they were getting up at four o'clock in the morning and going and doing the chickens and stuff and then going to school and then coming back.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_00: And they were, they were used to working, you know, 12, 14 hour days.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um most people in our generation aren't used to that type of work.
• 50:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I think being able to go and work on a farm and making sure that that's a good fit for you is is is really smart.
• 50:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, and I think um, you know, you just gotta follow your passion.
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_00: So uh so yeah.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, I I agree.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_04: You know, the best way to know before you invest, spend money, waste money, go out there and be within that space.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_04: I I agree wholeheartedly.
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_04: So we're at the end of the episode, and you know, I open the floor for you to ask me a question, um or ask me anything, really.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm gonna leave you to ask me this question and then we'll see what you ask, and we'll go from there.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_00: Did you ever think about where your water was coming for from before this call?
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, amazing.
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, most people like ask that to you, they're like, no.
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_00: I've never like because we're given water at such a young age.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_00: So most people are like, no, I just grab a bottle of water and I go.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, because again, I'm one of those people that's like, water isn't just water, like water has a different taste.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_04: You know, uh, what is it, spring water, distilled water, faucet water, you know, and I'm from the generation where when you were outside, you grab the water holes and that's what you drink out of, and you would continue playing.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_04: You know, but even then there's still that question of getting older.
• 51:55
  SPEAKER_04: Where's this water coming from?
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_04: What's in this water that's not in that water that's not in that water?
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_04: You know, but yes, I've I've been one of those people that's like, what is what is this?
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_04: Why does it taste different?
• 52:10
  SPEAKER_04: You know, so yeah, I've been that person.
• 52:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, have you seen the studies too?
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, I I sometimes get into this on podcasts, but like also our water sources just changed so much in the last 50 years because of prescription drugs, like women being on birth control.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_00: There's so much estrogen in our water source, so much so that like frogs, turtles, and fish are turning from male to female, which I think is mind-blowing.
• 52:37
  SPEAKER_00: I saw that, and then you multiply that by like everything else that gets thrown in the toilet, and you're like, and big cities aren't testing for that, they're really testing for bacteria or something that's gonna make you sick.
• 52:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you don't know all of those extra things that you're drinking if you're drinking something that's from a city source.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_04: No, yeah, and and I saw that study with the frogs being turned like that.
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_04: I was like, I don't want that.
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I don't want that at all.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_04: I don't want that at all.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_04: No, yeah, y'all can keep it.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_04: Well, listen, Nicole, this this has been a very educational conversation.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, good, I'm glad.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, you come up to the Poconos.
• 53:26
  SPEAKER_00: You'll have to come and see us.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, we're gonna have to discuss because I know how to get up there, you know, driving a truck.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_04: I know how to, you know, flying.
• 53:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's a beautiful drive, especially here in a couple weeks.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_00: It starts to turn fall, it'll be gorgeous driving up.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 53:45
  SPEAKER_04: DC will be the worst part to drive through.
• 53:47
  SPEAKER_04: DC But yeah, once you get up that way, I don't know.
• 53:52
  SPEAKER_04: I might take 77, just take the scenic route.
• 53:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_04: You spend more time driving than in traffic.
• 53:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_04: So, yeah.
• 54:01
  SPEAKER_04: But yes, I want to thank you for even reaching out.
• 54:07
  SPEAKER_04: I want to thank you for sending the samples, and thank you for being here today because it it truly does mean a lot for somebody to reach out and be a human.
• 54:18
  SPEAKER_04: And it means a lot for anybody to reach out in general with a purpose that's not just about oh, me, me, me, me, me.
• 54:26
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know, because again, you spent this whole conversation talking about other people and the community.
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_04: And that's one thing that we're big on here.
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_04: We're big on community.
• 54:37
  SPEAKER_04: We're still growing.
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_04: I can't tell you when we'll ever stop.
• 54:40
  SPEAKER_04: Don't think we'll ever stop.
• 54:42
  SPEAKER_04: You know, so yes, I appreciate this all in all.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but you have any last words?
• 54:49
  SPEAKER_00: No, thank you so much for having us and supporting us.
• 54:52
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll definitely make sure we get you some maple syrup samples this time, too, so you can try some maple syrup because the maple water is good and it's it's great if like your health, wellness, fit, but the maple syrup is like out of this world.
• 55:06
  SPEAKER_00: We we really have just such great land and it it produces such an incredible product.
• 55:13
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, I'll be expecting it.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_04: I won't even tell my kids because it'll show up and I might not get it.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_04: Right so, yes.
• 55:21
  SPEAKER_04: So, listen, y'all.
• 55:22
  SPEAKER_04: Thank y'all for tuning in to another episode of Creative Roots Podcast.
• 55:26
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, I am Tay once again.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_04: This is Nicole.
• 55:30
  SPEAKER_04: Hope y'all enjoyed this conversation.
• 55:31
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, because I forgot.
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_04: Shout out to Alan Lux Studios, Charlotte Podcast Studio, and ArtPod Charlotte.
• 55:38
  SPEAKER_04: I would like to thank us.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_04: That's it for this episode, and we will catch y'all in the next one.
• 55:43
  SPEAKER_04: Peace.