With support from local agricultural programming, Red Mill Maple Syrup in Millbrook is bringing Quebec’s love of maple syrup to The Kawarthas. They’re doing this by not only producing and selling high-quality all-natural maple syrup, but by hosting unique tours and events at their sugar shack.
Husband-and-wife team Sebastien Poulin and Julie Vallieres have decades of experience in maple syrup production, both having been raised in a region of Quebec well-known for maple syrup. Poulin’s grandfather Victor started making maple syrup at age 15 to help support his family in the small town of St-Victor, Quebec.
The couple began producing maple syrup at their 10-acre property in the Township of Cavan Monaghan in 2011, launching the Red Mill Maple Syrup brand in 2017. The name takes inspiration from the local Needler’s Mill, showing off the couple’s pride in their Millbrook home.
Red Mill Maple Syrup hosts year-round guided tours, immersing visitors from around the world in the sweet world of Canadian maple syrup with start-to-finish explanations of the science of the production process. By hosting syrup and maple taffy tastings in the sugar shack, Vallieres hopes to spread the same love for maple syrup that can be found in Quebec.
“It’s literally part of our culture,” Vallieres explains. “The maple syrup season is as important as the Christmas holidays because, for us, it’s a time to gather and to celebrate. It’s a very special time.”
To attract visitors to the sugar bush during maple syrup season and to promote its products to consumers, Red Mill Maple Syrup is a member of the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh program. The initiative provides a brand identity for local producers, a network for members to share and access resources, and an online database for buyers to find producers in Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes.
“During the season, we’ve had people tell us that program is how they knew that we existed and that we are in Millbrook,” says Vallieres.
In addition to selling Grade A natural maple syrup to consumers on site and through its website, Red Mill Maple Syrup sells wholesale to a number of retailers and restaurants in Peterborough County and beyond, also partnering with local buyers who want to personalize their supply with a private label.
To increase their reach even more, Vallieres is interested in participating in the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale program, another economic development initiative that strengthens local food distribution in Peterborough County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and the City of Peterborough.
Through the Green Circle Food Hub, developed in partnership with Graze & Gather, the program will help local producers like Red Mill Maple Syrup connect with local wholesale buyers including restaurants, resorts, golf courses, and more.
“It shows that Peterborough County is backing us up and they really support what we have in the region,” says Vallieres of the program. “We need this as local businesses and it’s great to see that support.”
Red Mill Maple Syrup is located at 1232 Deyell Line in Millbrook. For more information and to shop online, visit www.redmillmaplesyrup.ca.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series celebrating the farmers, food producers, food retailers, and agri-tourism businesses that make The Kawarthas thrive, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
Agriculture is a key economic driver and a point of pride for Peterborough County, with local farms producing a wide variety of high-quality goods, from traditional crops and livestock to organic and specialty products, reflecting the strength and diversity of this vital sector. With a growing focus on sustainability, local food systems, agri-innovation, and agri-tourism, agriculture offers strong potential for growth and diversification.
The Local Advantage with Peterborough County series spotlights the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh and Kawartha Local Food Wholesale initiatives, which aim to strengthen connections from farm to table across our region.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
