About Us
Nova Maple Syrup was established in 2015 with the purchase of a 100-acre property in Hartstown, Pennsylvania. The inaugural commercial syrup season began in late January of 2016 with roughly 7,500 taps. Since then we’ve expanded to 22,000 taps covering 275 acresand offer a full line of maple products including maple candy, cream, granulated sugar, and barrel aged syrup.
How did we get here?
During the winter of 2013, Jake decided to try making his own maple syrup with some of the trees on their 1.5-acre property as a hobby. He researched online, ordered the necessary equipment for a small-scale operation, and got to work. He tapped 50 trees and hung plastic bags to collect the sap. He and Hailee chopped wood and boiled the sap over an open fire at the back of the property. When the season was over, they had made 17 gallons of syrup.
Jake, along with help from Hailee and some friends, continued to make maple syrup over the next two seasons, each year upgrading methods and equipment. Instead of using plastic bags that had to be collected and poured into a barrel, they were now connecting all the trees with tubing that used a vacuum to pump the sap to a single collection point. This, in addition to tapping more trees (200 instead of just 50) increased production to 50 gallons a year. Jake and Hailee used the syrup to give away as favors at their wedding in July of 2014 in glass maple leaf bottles.
Thoughts of producing maple syrup on a commercial scale began to enter their minds, so they started searching for a suitable plot of wooded land. They found what they were looking for in Hartstown, PA.
After a successful first season producing commercially, Jake and Hailee had their sights set on expanding. Three more properties, totaling 170-acres, were purchased and set up for the 2017 season. With newly recruited help, 15,000 additional taps were put in, making Nova Maple Syrup one of the largest producers in the area.
What’s next?
After non-stop work for the last several years (including having 2 sugar babies), we’re concentrating on fine-tuning our operation. We may install a new sugar bush in the future if the opportunity presents itself. In the mean time, we are always expanding our line of products so follow our blog and social media (Facebook and Instagram) to stay in the loop!
If you’re interested in visiting our farm, we have started offering tours on the AirBnB Experiences platform. Please contact us through the AirBnB listing with your desired date/time and we will do our best to accommodate you and your group.
Hailee, Jake, Nessie, and Nova
Why Nova?
A few reasons… Jake’s first business, a software company that developed apps for apple products, was called Nuclear Nova Software. This lead Jake and Hailee to name their first dog Nova. Nova is a Golden Retriever/German Shepherd mix born on Thanksgiving of 2011, and her silhouette is featured in the NMS logo.
Meet The Team
Jake Leveto
While it’s not uncommon for farmers to switch to the tech world, Jake was actually a developer programming his own video games for ten years prior to starting the farm. With a masters degree in engineering his favorite part of the business is designing and implementing custom solutions to the unique challenges encountered every day. Outside of work he enjoys playing hockey, soccer, and golf several times a week, and spending time with his two sons, Dexter and Quinn.
Hailee Leveto
Hailee grew up outside of Toronto before moving to PA to play soccer in college. Is it any wonder she ended up making maple syrup for a living? It was a winding road with a brief stop in public accounting and five years teaching high school business. After helping on weekends/summers, Hailee had her first son in 2019 and decided to leave the world of education to join the Nova team full-time. Another son came along in 2019 and although both boys are still a bit young to help out in the woods, they are willing taste testers in the sugar shack! Hailee’s favorite part of the business is bringing her dogs to work and giving tours. She continues to play soccer whenever possible and helps coach the local high school team.
Lauren – Since 2019
Although Lauren is our youngest employee, she is definitely our feistiest! She was raised locally and enjoys working in the outdoors in her hometown. Some of her favorite tasks at the farm include working with the cows, bottling syrup, and the work attire. Her favorite Nova product to make and eat is the maple cream. She is passionate about sourcing locally and supporting small farms.
Brian – Since 2020
Brian is the Chef at Nova Maple with over a decade of culinary and management experience in the hospitality field. Brian has an Associate’s in Specialized Technology from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts School. He is responsible for overseeing the quality and standards of our syrup and other products we make. Brian is a family man with a loving wife and 2 sons. His favorite part of working on the farm is the physical nature of the job, keeping him out of the gym.
Chet Leveto – Since 2017
Chet spent his career driving heavy machinery in the construction industry. Now that he is retired he enjoys spending his free time fishing as well as helping out his nephew Jake during maple season by driving the sap truck. He is the proud father of two daughters and grandfather of four grandkids.
AirBnB Experience
If you’re interested in visiting our farm to learn more about how maple syrup is made, we have started offering tours on the AirBnB Experiences platform. Please contact us through the AirBnB listing with your desired date/time and we will do our best to accommodate you and your group.
Contact
Local pickup available by appointment only, email us to schedule a time.
Jake Leveto – jake@novamaple.com
Hailee Leveto – hailee@novamaple.com
Nova Maple Syrup
5950 Roemer Lane
Hartstown, PA 16131
Hey- love your story and the way you’ve obviously been able to meld your business, family, and the outdoors. We’re still working on our own transition to that lifestyle here. If you’re ever passing through the Driftless region of Wisconsin (3 or 4 people do every year!), please feel free to stop by to visit and talk maple. Scott Walter- Driftless Gold Organic Maple Syrup.
Thanks Scott! Same to you if you’re ever in PA! I just liked your page on Facebook 🙂
Please add me to your mailing list.
I am ordering 1 each of your cask syrup and a pound of your cream.
I expect to have my taste buds overwhelmed.
Hi John,
Thank you for your order – we will be shipping it out today! We haven’t sent any mass emails to customers yet, just order confirmation emails and tracking information for individual orders. However, we are thinking about putting together a quarterly newsletter of sorts. In the meantime, following us on social media (facebook, instagram) will keep you in the loop for new products and happenings on the farm. Thank you for your interest!
Do your maple products have any kosher certification? If so, what organization does the certification? I love anything maple syrup; I’m also very happy to know you are a neighbor of mine in Pennsylvania.
Hi, Unfortunately at this time we’re not certified Kosher. From my knowledge of what’s required there is no reason we wouldn’t pass, the syrup is literally just boiled tree sap. The certification process is just too costly to justify for our small family farm.
Hi, what is are your allergy policies for your maple products? Does your equipment process anything besides your maple items? Is there any cross contact? My son has several food allergies and I’m trying to figure out if this will work for him. Thanks for your help!
Hi Meg,
We do not process anything aside from maple products in our facility, so there will be no cross contact with any allergens. Hope that helps!
Please put me on your email list
Hi Paul,
We don’t have an email list at the moment, but if you follow our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram) and/or our website blog, you will see our posts and stay in the loop on new products, promotions, etc.
Thank you for your interest!