The assortment of Maple Ridge products look like a luxury brand, which can be quite important when you are trying to carve a place for yourself in the marketplace. Tinkess Photo
APPLE HILL – We often hear the phrase that it is necessary to think outside the box, but sometimes it takes a person from somewhere else to provide a new perspective that works even better. That seems to be the case for Apple Hill’s Maple Ridge Farm and Mr. Yan Chen.
When Mr. Chen first came to Canada from China in 2012, he happened to pass through an airport shop and noticed Canadian Maple Syrup in attractive bottles resembling a Maple leaf. He thought this was an interesting gift idea, and actually bought one, but since historically sugar is not as popular in China as it is in the west, he didn’t think about it too long, but as is the nature of entrepreneurs, he stored the image away in his mind for future use.
Over time he discovered how many different uses there were for Maple syrup and started to consider the possibilities. The picture of that attractive bottle stuck in his mind. and with a background in food science it didn’t take too long before he began considering products that might be derived from Maple syrup. Since Maple syrup is largely sugar, and since sugar ferments, he pondered whether it would be possible to create alcohol from Maple syrup. From there, it was only a matter of time until Maple Ridge Farms as it currently exists, was born.
Mr. Chen knew that if this was going to become a business, he would need a reliable source of his main ingredient and started working with a real estate professional. Together they explored several properties in Quebec, because Mr. Chen believed that Quebec was where Maple syrup originated. Their search, however, strayed across the Quebec-Ontario border one day, and after seeing the Maple Ridge Farm property in Apple Hill, his mind was made up: this is where he would locate.
Maple Ridge Farm is located on County Road 43 in Apple Hill and spans 330 acres and includes farmland, forests, and wetlands. The farm, which has been in operation for 170 years, is home to over 5,000 century-old sugar maple trees. Maple Ridge Farm produces maple syrup and its derivatives, such as candies and maple cream, and enjoys high degree of local recognition.
In 2018, the farm was acquired by the Chen family, who invested five years in its redevelopment. Today, the farm now features four modern buildings, state-of-the-art maple syrup production and winemaking equipment, and they have added 10-acre vineyard as a way of diversifying the farm’s product offerings.
The implementation of an automated pipeline network has transformed the traditional maple syrup collection process into a fully automated system. The product range has diversified from traditional single items to a variety of products with maple syrup as the main ingredient.
Like many businesses, with the arrival of the Pandemic, Mr. Chen’s plans ended up being delayed, but despite this, in 2020, his brand-new facilities were completed. He continued to experiment and fine-tune his products.
One of the most remarkable transformations has been the “winemaking” process for maple syrup. After five years of experimentation and research, the Chen team successfully developed maple syrup sweet wine and highly distilled spirits. Admittedly, it isn’t wine in the strictest sense, since wine typically involves grapes.
Lauren Liu, Marketing Manager at Maple Ridge Farm spoke about the uniqueness of the product, and some of the varieties that have been created.
“Our products are very unique,” said Liu. “We get our maple syrup, and put it into the boiler, then add just water and yeast, only three ingredients, and Maple syrup is the major ingredient. Because Maple syrup is sugar, and sugar ferments, Mr. Chen believed you should be able to make it into alcohol. So, he, he combined those ingredients and created this wine.
“We call it wine; technically we can’t call it wine, because wine has to come from grapes, but at that moment, he didn’t know.”
The eventual result was the products that bear the name Maple King and Maple Queen. The Maple Queen variety is 9 per cent alcohol, and is targeted more towards the ice wine market, although it is not as sweet. The Maple King variety has a 13.5 per cent alcohol content, and they have added a 15 per cent variety which is even less sweet, although you can still taste the Maple.
Mr. Chen continued to experiment and was able to produce a product with a 40 per cent alcohol content, and which also bears the Maple King name.
Thinking back to the Maple Syrup he had encountered in the airport when he first arrived in Canada Mr. Chen understood the importance of presentation and as a result the packaging is almost as much an attraction as what it contains.
As simple as the recipe sounds, there were years of experimentation and testing involved. Details always matter, even when considering whether the barrels used are constructed of Oak or Maple. Combining the similar characteristics of maple and oak, they conducted research and development on maple barrels, achieving the greatest degree of successful with maple barrels.
Because Mr. Chen was essentially creating a new product, there were hurdles to be overcome. Despite an intensive two-year search for craftspeople skilled in the cooper (barrel making) trade, no one was located. As a result, Canadian Maple lumber was shipped to China where it was fashioned into barrels and then returned to Canada.
Because of the uniqueness of the product, there it has also been a struggle at times when dealing with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).
In August of 2025 however, the restore licence to produce and sell alcohol from pure Maple syrup was obtained, and their products are now sold on site. They are also in the process of obtaining the ability to have it sold through the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), but as mentioned previously, because of the unique nature of the product, has taken a bit longer than they had hoped.
“It’s a challenge as well to the market, to present this to the market and help them to understand what this is,” said Liu. “What’s the difference between this and the regular wine and the regular whiskey. And they always ask, is that the whiskey or something else?
“It is also not easy because it isn’t from wheat or corn,” continues Liu. “So, when we we try to introduce ourselves to LCBO, it’s hard for us to find the right way to say what this is. They don’t have that such a thing. They have a category for honey, but we’re not honey, but we are very similar to honey, so that’s the challenge. We need to talk to some people directly from LCBO to make them understand, like maybe there is a new category they can put us in because now I’m talking to the system, and systems are like, selections. That’s the challenge now, but its step by step.”
Despite the difficulties, optimism is high that there will be a positive outcome. That, and a great Maple syrup season will make 2026 a very special year!
Maple Ridge Farm is located at 18035 County Rd. 43, Apple Hill. You can reach them by phone at 613-800-0390 or by email at info@mapleridgefarm.ca. Due to winter weather conditions their hours of operation are flexible, and it is recommended that you contact them prior to visiting to avoid disappointment. A listing of their assortment of products can be found on their website at mapleridgefarm.ca. Once you have a chance to sample their product, you’ll likely decide it was well worth the trip.
