July 21, 2023
In recent years, the demand for authentic on-farm experiences has surged, offering maple producers a golden opportunity to diversify revenue and expand the public's knowledge of maple through agritourism. There are many ways maple producers can engage visitors, including offering tours, tastings, and demonstrations, trails through the sugarbush, hosting special events, showcasing sustainable maple production, and opening a farm store. If you're a maple producer thinking about inviting visitors onto your farm, read on for more ideas and links to additional resources to help you get started!
Tours
Agritourism is all about offering unique and immersive experiences, and farm tours are at the heart of it all. Welcome visitors to your sugarbush and guide them through the maple syrup production journey. Let them see you tap the trees, collect the sap, and witness the magic of boiling it down to syrup. Engage them with tales of your family's maple heritage and the stories of the land. This interactive experience will leave a lasting impression on their hearts and minds.
Tastings and Demonstrations
The best way to captivate visitors is through their taste buds. Organize maple syrup tastings, offering a range of syrup grades and flavors and educating visitors about the unique characteristics of each. You can also host live demonstrations on maple candy-making, maple cream production, or cooking with maple to showcase the versatility of maple syrup. These delectable experiences will create memories that visitors will cherish long after they leave your farm.
Trails through Sugarbush
One fun, easy, low-cost way to dip your toe into agritourism is to open the trails through your sugarwoods to the public. Many visitors and Vermonters alike are looking for beautiful places to explore the outdoors. You can offer guided or self-guided nature walks, cross-country skiing, and more. Check out this blog post for key considerations when implementing walking trails on your property.
Special Events
If you have the space and capacity to plan it, special events can be a fun and lucrative way to incorporate agritourism on your farm. You can host live music, workshops, artisanal craft fairs, hayrides, and delicious farm-to-table meals featuring a maple-inspired menu. For more information on how to successfully host events, read our guide to hosting memorable on-farm events.
Showcasing Sustainable Maple Production
Many visitors appreciate a farm that cares for its land and resources. Showcase your commitment to sustainable maple production by explaining your forest management practices, including responsible tree tapping and conservation efforts. Educate your guests about the positive environmental impact of choosing maple syrup as a natural, renewable sweetener. Such initiatives resonate with eco-conscious tourists and can turn them into loyal supporters of your farm.
Farm Store
A farm store is the cherry on top of any great agritourism offering. Engaging in on-farm experiences cultivates deeper connections to the farmer and to the land, motivating them to want to take a piece of it home with them, and perhaps continue to visit or purchase online for years to come. Experiences that elicit an emotional response, as agritourism often does, have been shown to have a more lasting impact on the knowledge people retain and to impact changes in purchasing habits throughout their lifetime. Your farm store can be simple. Just make sure you have some way to offer your products for sale at the end of the visit.
Resources
Agritourism offers an opportunity to celebrate your traditions, share your passion, increase revenue, and create lasting memories for visitors. The ideas above are just a few of the potential ways to engage visitors as a maple producer, but there are many more. No matter which type of activity you decide to implement, make sure you are protected from liability and have the appropriate permits. Explore our previous blog posts for more information about hosting different types of on-farm experiences and visit the Agritourism Regulatory Guide to help determine which permits you will need for different activities.
Maple 100
If you're a maple producer who is engaged in agritourism, or if you want to get started, don't forget to sign up for the Vermont Maple 100! This month-long, annual promotion (taking place September 15th-October 15th) is the ultimate showcase of everything maple-related in Vermont, from thrilling maple adventures to mouthwatering maple-inspired products. This is your chance to shine and make a lasting impression on maple enthusiasts from near and far!
The best part? Participating in the Maple 100 is easy and absolutely free, and you'll reap the benefits of a robust marketing campaign promoting your business to a captive audience of Vermont tourists during our busiest season. While we invite you to get creative and curate something truly unique, you can also sign up to promote a maple-related product or activity that you already offer!
Every business that signs up will be featured on VermontVacation.com and benefit from the joint marketing efforts of a variety of public and private partners. Don't miss this unique opportunity! Apply today to tell us how you'd like to get involved!
Questions? Contact Kristen Brassard at kristen.brassard@vermont.gov.
Thanks for reading the Marketing and Agritourism Blog! I’m your host, Kristen Brassard, Marketing & Agritourism Specialist at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. Stay tuned every other week for tips on marketing and incorporating agritourism practices on your farm and be sure to sign up for our Agriculture Development Newsletter so you never miss a post!