A sweetener full of surprises

The natural choice

Unrefined and unprocessed, pure Canadian maple syrup comes from a unique natural process which occurs every spring, deep in the forests of Québec. 

After the cold winter, frozen maple sap thaws and moves back down towards the base of the tree, where it is then ‘tapped’ and harvested. 

The collected sap is taken to a sugar shack and boiled down to make maple syrup. It takes about 40 litres of sap to make just one litre of syrup. 

Tapping season lasts for about four to six weeks, between March and April and involves thousands of producers, many from family farms where tapping skills have been passed down the generations.

A sweetener for today’s consumers

More than CAN$22.6 million worth – almost five million lbs – of maple syrup and associated products such as maple sugar and spread were imported into the UK during the period January- June 2026 – that’s up more than 20% on the same period in 2025.

And according to the Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP), UK consumers’ love of natural ingredients has helped the value of imports of pure Canadian Maple Syrup to jump to their highest ever.

“The natural authenticity and provenance of pure Canadian maple syrup is particularly important to consumers in the fine food and deli sector,” explains Vincent Grondin from Maple from Canada, the marketing organisation behind Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP).

“Bottling at source too means deli shoppers have the reassurance that they are buying a pure, unblended maple syrup with authentic origins, direct from the producer,” 

Vincent also attributes the popularity of Canadian maple syrup to the present interest in natural alternatives to processed sugar and the versatility of the ingredient across recipes.

“Working with food influencers and recipe developers for social media content helps us to tell the story of Canadian maple syrup, its natural origins as well as its usage in exciting, healthy dishes”, he explains. 

“We are keen to showcase the other variants in the maple syrup family too such as maple spread, maple vinegar and maple sugar, which are gaining traction in the fine food sector among consumers who are keen to try the taste of maple syrup in other formats.” 

How to maximise maple syrup sales

Looking to expand your maple syrup range or introduce new formats such as maple spread?

Maple syrup comes in four different styles and colours - golden, amber, dark and very dark - each one having its own characteristics and taste, so making them suitable for more than topping pancakes. 

Produced during the first half of the tapping season, the golden and amber grades are lighter in colour and have a more delicate taste, while the darker grades collected at the end of the harvest are stronger in flavour.  

For retailers, this provides plenty of opportunities for category cross pollination to help drive sales. Lighter golden maple syrup, for example, is ideal for drizzling directly on desserts, adding to salad dressings or even adding to cocktails, while the robust flavour of dark and very dark maple syrup is better suited as a bakery ingredient or for adding to sauces and marinades. 

Understanding how your customers could use maple syrup at home will not only help you position the different grades in-store to maximise exposure but also help with any seasonal promotions; dark maple syrup would be a perfect addition to a Christmas baking fixture for example.

Get in touch

To find out more about Canadian Maple Syrup, visit maplefromcanada.co.uk