Our Story2018-10-29T17:34:21+00:00

Our Story

It started with a 30-gallon drum, a wood fire, a few gallons of sap, and lots of time spent in a young boy’s life. John Deets was only twelve when he started collecting sap from the maple trees around his father’s house to make enough syrup for his family. During the many hours watching the sap boil, John began to dream of some day owning and operating a sugar house, which would involve the tapping of hundreds of maple trees.

He made syrup on a small scale, tapping just a few trees for several years until he lost his equipment in a fire. Eight years later, the urge to make syrup started again. He began collecting the equipment for producing the syrup with help from his wife, Carol, and his father, Glenn. Used equipment was bought and assembled. Using wood for fuel, they produced fifteen gallons of maple syrup the first year. The following year, with the addition of a sugar house and the greater volume of sap being gathered, it was necessary to purchase a larger evaporator.

Each year, as their interest in making syrup grew, so did the need for more modern equipment. John says, “Once you get maple in your blood, you just can’t get it out.” John and Carol’s son Mike was just a year old when the first syrup was made with the improved equipment. Three years later their daughter Jessica was born, and now both children help with the sugaring operation.

Later, the candy kitchen was added for making maple products, including maple candy, cream and sugar. This allowed them to sell more syrup, by turning it into other products. The local farmer’s market was the first outlet for Deets’ Maple Syrup. One of the newest and most enjoyable ways of selling their maple products is at local fairs.

The hope of John and his family is that the growing maple sugar industry in Pennsylvania will become well-known throughout the state. Selling to all parts of the country is a dream that John can’t believe is coming true. Working at these dreams is what keep the Deets’ Sugar House growing!

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