When most kids want to earn a little pocket money, they sell lemonade but not Mike Spicer. He’s always been in the business of selling maple syrup
“I guess I was any other kid that liked sugar and I was drinking it right out of the bottle,” Mike explained with a laugh. “And my mom’s like what are you doing and she said you know we got some maple trees and we can tap them. And then I was making syrup and then maybe some family friends would buy it off me.”
Fast forward to last December when he heard- that the Cedarvale Maple Syrup Co’s owner was retiring and wouldn’t be producing any more syrup, Mike knew he had to do something despite only being a sophomore at Hamilton College.
“I gave him a call and just worked out a deal and next thing I know I’m full going into this place,” Mike says.
The company founded over two decades before he was born has a rich history and loyal customers.
“I have people that have come in and they’ll be like ‘oh so you’re the one that’s taken over you, know we’ve been here for 40 years, ‘” Mike says. “It’s really cool. There are things around here, I’ll touch something and half the time its older than I am,” Mike says.
But coming from a younger generation has its benefits. Spicer says he make this company stand out from others by bringing in new ideas to the table like creating a snapchat filter.
And none of this would be possible without friends and family, they helped Mike tap over 1200 trees here in these woods.
“I wake up every morning and I’m like ‘what how did i get people to do this,'” Mike says.
Despite the challenge of balancing college and the company, Mike says he wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I have a long week of essays and tests, and then I’ll get to come home and walk in the woods where its beautiful and regroup and get ready for the next week,” Mike says.
He’ll be home this weekend for the second weekend of New York State Maple Weekends. Visitors can participate in scavenger hunts, learn how make syrup, and, buy a variety of maple products. The Cedarvale Maple Syrup Co. is expecting two to three hundred people per day.
