Getting Started

Located on the top of Nuttby Mountain, Alec and Gayle MacRae started MacRae’s Rocky Ridge Maple farm as retirement hobby. The MacRae’s first started collecting sap as a family endeavor to have enough syrup for themselves but Alec and Gayle expanded once they retired. Having grown up on mixed farms in Colchester County, they were not strangers to farming. They now manage 100 acres of sugarbush and farm with their family: Children Andrew and Elaine, son-in-law Ryan, and grandchildren Shannon and Alexis.

Sustainability

MacRae’s Rocky Ridge Maple is operated with sustainability at the top of mind. They use the water removed in the reverse osmosis (RO) machine for cleaning. They are careful to harvest the wood for their evaporator by only cutting dead wood or dying trees from their woodlot, which in turn helps keep their sugar maple healthy. They produce both maple syrup and maple butter on the farm. These products are available at farm gate, Pavia Gallery- Expresso Bar and Café, and through bulk ordering. Visit their website for more information: https://www.macraesmaple.ca/ 

Connection

This family loves spending time in the woods, working together, interacting with fellow maple producers, and forming connections with their customers. Their job keeps them both active and social! They take great pride in their farm and cherish the time they spend passing the tradition on to their grandchildren.