“Cooperatives, food, maple farming, and family are my passion,” Maple Valley Cooperative co-founder Cecil Wright said recently during a team meeting with their almost a dozen staff members. Their headquarters and new production facility are located in the small town of Cashton in rural southwest Wisconsin. Cecil believes strongly in the cooperative model and the principles. In 2007, Maple Valley became a cooperative with a unique multi-class membership model with farmer, employee, customer, vendor and investor owner members. “We need everyone to succeed, and cooperation is at its best when everyone is involved in the business,” Cecil says.
This small, thriving cooperative produces certified organic, kosher, vegan friendly maple syrup products in small batches. The 32 fl oz Dark & Robust syrup is their most popular product followed closely by the melt-in-your-mouth maple candy and the recently released Whiskey Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup. Cecil is also one of their founding farmers. “I love walking in the woods in the snowy stillness of the winter to check lines and tap trees,” he says with a smile. “And, having my son Addisu learning the craft of maple farming, and the whole family being involved in the sugaring season is a lot of fun.” Maple sugaring truly is a family affair for most of their 30 farmer members. It takes all hands on deck to make it happen during the short 6-8 week season each spring. Cecil laughs when he says, “Nature determines exactly WHEN the season starts, but then it’s non-stop GO time to harvest and boil the sap into maple syrup, nature’s superfood sweetener!”
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