Anyone who’s spent time chasing leaks in a maple tubing system knows that the last tree on a lateral line is a favorite target for squirrels. With tubing wrapped all the way around the trunk, they have easy access to plenty of places to chew.

The first photo below shows how we used to finish our lateral lines. The entire loop around the tree was under vacuum, so even a small chew hole meant another leak to find and fix.

The second photo shows our new setup with dead-end tees. These fittings connect the last tree’s dropline directly to the lateral while keeping the anchor loop isolated from vacuum. Squirrels can still chew that loop, but damage there won’t cause a vacuum leak.

We’re looking forward to better vacuum at the taps and fewer hours spent tracking down leaks. It’s a small change we wish we’d made on day one!

Maple candy is our most challenging product to make consistently. We can control dozens of variables during production, but once the candy leaves our hands, storage conditions can make a big difference.

The biggest factor is moisture. Too little, and the candy becomes rock hard. Too much, and it turns soft and mushy—or, in the worst case, develops mold. We’ve worked to keep our drying conditions and timing consistent, but we’ve learned that those steps alone aren’t enough.

Last week, we bought a moisture meter to help take some of the guesswork out of the process. It weighs a small sample, uses heat to evaporate the water, and calculates the moisture content from the change in weight.

Our early readings show that candy fresh off the machine has a moisture content of about 12–13%, while stale candy is closer to 5%. We think the sweet spot is somewhere around 8–9%. We’ll refine that target over the next few batches and build these measurements into our regular process. The goal is simple: more consistent maple candy in every box.

We also have a packaging update for our maple syrup customers. Tariffs on Canadian goods have created uncertainty in the maple industry, and we’re feeling the effects in our jug supply.

This summer, our jug manufacturer was sold to a major Canadian maple equipment supplier. The company has also been switching from screen printing to labels built directly into the molds. Between that production transition and tariffs on empty jugs—even though the raw plastic is American-made—our gallon jug order from February still hasn’t arrived. Bulk maple syrup from Quebec isn’t subject to those tariffs, but the empty containers are.

We’re now running low on our usual gallon jugs. If you order a gallon between now and the end of the year, it may arrive in a generic jug with a Nova Maple Syrup label we’ve printed ourselves.

Rest assured, the syrup inside is the same syrup you know and love. We’ll use this temporary packaging until our jug order is produced and shipped to the United States. For now, we still have plenty of our usual packaging in the other sizes.

Thanks for your patience and continued support as we work through these changes!

Although he began this spring, we would like to introduce our newest team member, Chuck Shank!

Chuck’s roots with Nova Maple go back to 2013, when he helped Jake boil sap over an open fire during the company’s early days as a hobby. He later spent several years in Oregon with his wife as she pursued her education and career. They returned to Pennsylvania in 2024 and welcomed a baby girl into their family. After occasional visits to the farm, Chuck decided to trade his white-collar job for work that brought him back outdoors. Having grown up in the area, hunting and working on his parents’ horse farm, he’s always felt at home in nature. Though he holds a degree in nuclear medicine, he’s happiest in the woods—and he’s excited to be part of the Nova Maple Syrup team.