Claude and Denise Castonguay celebrate their passion for maple syrup and the time spent with family and friends doing what they love. Thompson Goddard Photo

MOOSE CREEK – On the outskirts of Moose Creek, at the end of a long, winding laneway there is a beautiful building in which maple sap is turned into maple syrup and a variety of sweet treats.  It is the home of La sucre à Frank sugar shack, owned and operated by Claude and Denise Castonguay.

The couple had purchased 60 acres for their son Francis who had wanted to build a house in the forest.  Part of the land was used for the creation of a solar farm, which Claude explained provided the funding for their maple syrup business.  The forest has mainly hard maple trees and “many hickory trees.”

He mentioned the hickory nuts which fall to the ground, which results in a hickory flavoured sap used in the first boil of the season.

Two years after their son Francis passed away in an accident, Claude and Denise decided to build the current “sugar shack” in his memory.  Their daughter Nathalie designed the building, with construction beginning in 2015.  The comfortable building has a fully equipped kitchen area, complete with a large table and chairs and of course the equipment needed to process the maple sap.

“It is so much fun to maple syrup” commented Claude, while Denise prepared a couple of small cups from which a taste test of the delicious maple syrup could be made.  They also have other products for sale such as maple candy, maple sugar and maple butter.  In addition to processing maple sap into a variety of products, Claude mentioned how he completes specialty orders for several companies and is able to put their logo on the label.

The collecting and processing of maple sap began when their son-in-law decided to tap 300 of the maple trees in the forest with a bucket explained Claude, who continued how it transpired that he and Denise would empty the bucket twice a day.

2016 was their first year with 800 taps and approximately 220 gallons of syrup was produced.  The next year in 2017 another 800 taps were created and in 2018 another 400 taps installed and as they say, the rest is history, with Claude mentioning how there is approximately 9,000 feet of pipeline throughout the 25-acre bush.

Looking to the future, Claude mentioned between 150 and 200 maple trees are planted each year to maintain the forest for future generations.  He smiled as he mentioned how the couple won’t see them begin being tapped but he and the family can enjoy watching them grow.

He and Denise both agreed that they enjoy the peace, which is found in the bush, mentioning it is good medicine for the soul with family members often joining them for a reunion in this picturesque setting.

One of the treasures found in the sugar shack is a slice of a log from a maple tree in the Cumberland area which shows where the tree was tapped during World War II.  Claude explained the tree would have been about 150 years old from counting the tree rings and showed the scars created from the tapping process.  He mentioned this was one way to augment the sugar which was rationed during the war.  In fact, maple syrup or other maple products are a good alternative to processed sugar in recipes.

If you would like to have a light shined on your business, please contact us at: editor@etceterapublications.ca or call us at 613-448-2321.