Since the adoption of the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers’ Joint Plan in 1998, the Quebec industry has been operating within a regulated system of collective maple syrup marketing.
The Links of a Complex and Efficient System
Since the adoption of the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers’ Joint Plan in 1998, the Quebec industry has been operating within a regulated system of collective maple syrup marketing.
The Quebec maple syrup industry, which produces and processes over 70% of North America’s maple syrup, is considered the global leader in terms of quality, innovation and know-how. Syrup prices set in Quebec served as the benchmark for the other three Canadian provinces and the 13 American states producing this golden treasure.
In Quebec, since the adoption of the Joint Plan of the Quebec Maple Producers in 1998, the industry has been operating within a regulated system of collective marketing for maple syrup. Production is governed by a series of regulations, while marketing rules and prices are developed and negotiated periodically through an agreement between representatives of the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers and the Maple Industry Council (MIC).
All producer syrup sold in bulk to buyers must go through a single centralized channel: the Quebec Maple Producers’ Sales Agency (Agence de vente des producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec). The producers are also responsible for managing the global strategic reserve of maple syrup, which fluctuates based on harvests and sales, steadily growing for over a decade.
Quality control and grading of all bulk syrup from Quebec is carried out by Acer Division Inspection, a subsidiary of the ACER Centre. The ACER Centre is recognized internationally as a leader in both research and development and its sophisticated analysis to ensure the quality of Quebec maple syrup.
The Régie des marchés agricoles et alimentaires du Québec (Quebec Agricultural and Food Markets Board) acts as an administrative tribunal and economic regulator, promoting the efficient and orderly marketing of Quebec maple syrup products.
Finally, Quebec’s Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food) ensures some cohesion among industry stakeholders, notably through their participation in the Politique bioalimentaire québécoise 2018-2025. The federal government, mainly through Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, is also an important partner in the industry.
Images: Courtesy of PPAQ
Key Figures
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bulk maple syrup plants
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authorized buyers
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direct and indirect jobs
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of the syrup produced in Quebec is purchased by members of the MIC, 99% of which is being processed in the plants of its 23 processors members
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of bulk syrup purchased in Quebec is exported
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countries export Quebec maple products
The Transformation Process
This important stage in the syrup processing process requires significant coordination and available storage space, as syrup is produced over a short period of approximately 6 to 8 weeks, and must be processed diligently.
Image: Courtesy of PPAQ
Each barrel of syrup received at the plant is inspected and graded by Acer Inspection Division specialists to assess its quality and classification into the appropriate grade. Each category of syrup is associated with a price paid to the producer, in accordance with the current Maple Syrup Marketing Agreement.
Image: Courtesy of PPAQ
The syrups are then selected according to customer requirements, heated, and finely filtered before being bottled or packaged into other types of container.
Value-added products such as sugar, flakes, and maple butter are also produced and processed at this stage.
Image: Courtesy of PPAQ
The packaging of finished products is increasingly automated. These boxes are then placed on pallets for shipment to clients. The logistics and transportation of finished products pose a real challenge, and one that the members of the MIC have successfully mastered with expertise.