Our History
Our Maple Syrup journey began in December 2004, when a Christmas gift of a backyard maple syrup kit inspired our family to take on a new hobby. Over the next few months, Scott walked our woods to find trees that could be tapped with a spile and a bucket and worked with his dad to build a homemade stove and flat pan. Each year, the backyard operation grew until we decided that it was time to turn our hobby into a business. We found the perfect sugarbush in Wisconsin to turn our dream into reality. In 2015, Compass Farms moved to Ogema, Wisconsin.
During the next year, we worked with experts to help design and install the tubing system, built our cookhouse, and purchased all the equipment necessary for our first season. We put out 4,500 taps in 2017 and soon realized that we had a lot to learn about running a larger scale sugarbush. We met several producers who shared their knowledge and we quickly learned how to manage a high vacuum tubing system, collect, and process over 100,000 gallons of sap to produce our high-quality maple syrup.
We have continued to expand our operations increasing the number of taps to 8,000 and installing new equipment to handle the increased capacity of sap and finished maple syrup. In 2019, we committed to organic practices and received our MOSA Certification to support our goal of sustainable farming.
Our journey has not always gone according to plan, but thanks to friends and family we continue to operate our farm and produce quality maple products. We have made so many unforgettable memories and met such wonderful people. We have felt truly blessed.
Our Operation
At Compass Farms, we go above and beyond when it comes to producing our maple products. Unlike many other producers, who simply reheat syrup before packagine, we take it a step further. We bring each batch to a rolling boil. Yes, it may take us more time, but we believe it is a cruicial step in delivering the utmost quality to our valued customers. By re-boiling our syrup, we are ensuring proper packaging and sealing as well as revive the pure freshness that can gradually diminish after months of storage.
In our operation, we use sustainable tapping and collection practices to ensure that we are maintaining a healthy and productive forest. Our tubing system, consisting of 2-inch mainlines and 1-inch lateral lines, is built to maintain adequate sap flow and vacuumm pressure. All the sap is collected at a central pump station where it is filtered to remove debris from the tubing system.
As sap is collected and pumped into storage tanks, we use a reverse osmosis machine to remove excess water, which saves on time and fuel when processing maple syrup. As soon as the sap is processed through the reverse osmosis system, it is cooked in our stainless steel evaporator. The sap flows into the flue pan and into the syrup pans, which are changes every four to five hours to avoid sugar build up. We use an automatic draw-off system, providing consistent temperature and sugar content. The syrup is filtered using an air-diaphragm press, resulting in high-quality maple syrup. Food-grade drums are filled with filtered syrup, which are stored in a cool location until delivered to customers.
It’s this dedication and unwavering commitment that sets out maple syrup from the rest.
Our Quality
Compass Farms maintains USDA and FDA licensing and other facilities are inspected annually. Compass Farms’ maple products have also been certified organic through the Midwest Organic Services Association since 2019. Compass Farms is also a proud member of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association.
