WILTON – Maple syrup producers around the state can now find all the equipment and supplies they need at a new superstore in Wilton. CDL, a family owned, Canadian company has teamed up with Miguel Ibarguen of Bowley Brook Maple in Weld to open the first sugar supply store of its kind in Maine.
“We just thought, if we have to buy all this equipment, why not sell it too?” Ibarguen said at the ribbon cutting ceremony Friday morning.
The opening event drew in a crowd of more than 50 people, including state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner Walter Whitcomb, state Rep. Russell Black of Wilton and Gov. Paul LePage. Representatives from CDL were also in attendance to support the opening of their eleventh store in the U.S.
The store, which will meet the needs for large and small syruping businesses alike, was built from the ground up by Ibarguen and his team. Perched on a hill overlooking US Route 2, CDL even had a wood-burning sap evaporator puffing out smoke for opening day.
“Opening CDL in Wilton is going to get Maine maple syrup in front of America,” Whitcomb said. “Having the evaporator running right here next to Route 2 shows the world what we’re capable of here in Maine.”
Whitcomb reported that Maine’s maple industry has doubled since 2010. Black, a maple syrup producer at his family’s farm, added that as of now the state is tapping two million trees, but a projected 41 million trees could potentially be tapped in the future.
“Every ten taps we put in create a new job for someone in Maine,” Black said. “Welcoming CDL here is the first step.”
Both Whitcomb and Black attributed a large part of the growth of Maine’s syrup industry to the support from Gov. LePage. The governor has whole heartedly continued the tradition of tapping the maple tree on the lawn of the Blaine House in Augusta, a symbolic act which Whitcomb said shows LePage stands behind completely.
“People have always said that Maine is the end of the pipeline, but I say it’s the start of the horizon,” LePage remarked at the opening ceremony. “We have the capacity to be a very large player in this industry.”
The store will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with extra weekend hours during the sugar season. It is located at 319 US Route 2.
This is going to be awesome for the area. Congratulations! Hard work and persistence pays off.
Maine is the most heavily forested state in the US, at about 90%. Maine is currently the 2nd largest maple syrup producer in the US, after Vermont. Room to improve here. This may be a partial solution to the decline of the pulp an paper industry. The figure of “10 taps creates a new job” seems over stated. That’s only 10 quarts of syrup. I’d might believe 100 taps, and certainly 1000! Great to have new commerce in our area, and a natural, sustainable product as well. Thanks Miguel.
So pleased for you Miguel. My thoughts reflect on a time when a young boy and friends would transport sap in various containers in the back of your truck. The sap would be boiled down over a wood fire pit in the backyard and a tarp was erected overhead to keep the elements at bay. Who would have ever thought that those simple beginnings would emerge decades later into a full time business. Your hard work, perseverance and vision made a dream come true. Congratulations!!!
Awesome stuff! For Pete’s sake, I did some quick calculations of what sugar supply store might yield in terms of the ratio of new taps/jobs created. It comes out exactly 1,234/1. Slightly above the high end of your range.