Meet Michael Skroch of The Syrup Ranch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Skroch.

Hi Michael, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started off attempting to make maple syrup in 2009; just as a hobby and to try something new. Each year, with continued success, I expanded and was able to grow and get bigger. In 2011, I started producing more than what my family could consume after learning more about the bottling and preservation of pure maple syrup. My parents introduced me to an individual who they met while vacationing in Wisconsin. His name was Allen. It was him who taught me how to produce maple syrup. Allen made a living by commercially producing pure maple syrup. We continued to stay in touch throughout the years and as each one passed, our bond became stronger and he entrusted me with more of his knowledge. In 2013, while having a conversion with him, he said he was going to be retiring and wanted to offer all his equipment to me with the hopes of me purchasing it. It was with total shock and caught me completely off guard. I said that his equipment was way too big for the place I was presently making pure maple syrup in. He said, “If you’re going to jump in, you might as well get wet!” So after a lot of thought and discussion with my family, I said yes to purchasing Allen’s equipment.

Making pure maple syrup at The Syrup Ranch began getting more serious. I was blessed to have much support from my wife, Jacleen, as well as our families. Jacleen, our kids, and our families have always helped when need be. They are always be willing to step in and are very instrumental to the success here at The Syrup Ranch. Gathering and collecting maple sap is very much a physically intensive, back breaking job. Our children grew up around producing pure maple syrup since the very beginning and have always been very helpful: Jayda(12), Laken(10), Wyllow(7), and Weston(7). In 2013, we built a shed dedicated to only making pure maple syrup. We then got licensed by the MN Department of Agriculture. For our business, this meant we could start selling our products to commercial stores, as well as the public. In 2014, we made our first pure maple syrup in our new building. We also entered our pure maple syrup into the MN State Fair. Fun fact, the year prior, 2013, we attempted to enter the state fair, but got disqualified because it wasn’t in the correct bottle and cap. We took first place in all 3 grades of maple syrup: light, medium, and dark ambers and we also won the best in show by the MN Maple Syrup Producers Association. After how well we placed at the MN State Fair in 2014, things really began to take off for us. We found ourselves extremely lucky to have customers contacting us from all across MN wanting our syrup!

Each year we continue to grow. We enjoy purchasing new equipment and phasing out Allen’s older equipment as it is becoming outdated and worn. As our business grew, collecting sap pails became too much work and in 2015, we installed gravity tubing in a section of our woods. In 2016, we installed tubing throughout the entire woods along with a vacuum pump. This vacuum pump is connected to the tubing and helps assist the sap in reaching the collection point. In 2016, we were at the Made in MN Expo selling our pure maple syrup and providing samples. It was there that we were approached by an individual who said this was the best pure maple syrup that he has ever tasted. Throughout our conversation, he inquired about whether or not we’d be billing and able to be a part of their brand. This was absolutely exciting for us, but with that came a lot of uncertainty! I was so excited that I instantly called Allen to tell him the news. He said he was so proud of Jacleen and I; as well as our children!

In 2017, we launched our pure maple syrup with the Four Brothers Maple Syrup brand for Coborns, Cashwise, and marketPlace stores throughout MN and the neighboring states. This really was and continues to be an awesome opportunity for us!

Allen and I always stayed in touch. I called him regularly asking for advice or to just catch up. I would always find him praising us, our hard work, and dedication. He always had such great things to say. He made me to always want to do better and to keep going the extra mile. On December 29, 2020, I called Allen and we talked about Christmas, the upcoming sap season that was quickly approaching, and how I couldn’t wait to get back into the woods, again. The next day his wife called and said Allen had passed the very next day. My heart sank and it felt like everything I had done had just stopped. I was shocked, full of disbelief, and wondered, now what? My mentor and friend was gone. Family, friends, regular customers, and others had great words of encouragement for us; things like “you are living his legacy and he is now watching you” made this difficult time just a little bit easier.

In 2021, as the business continues to grow, we decided to add on to our existing sugar shack. This included a much larger square footage expansion, as well as some newer equipment to make the process of bottling and production more efficient. Pure maple syrup sales and the growth of our business continue to be much more than we had ever imagined and hoped for. This hobby of mine has turned into a prospering business. One in which I could not do without the support and help from my family and especially my mentor; Allen!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always struggles! A lot of people make pure maple syrup. We want to make our business stand out and be different than others. We want it to taste the very best and pride ourselves in reaching that! Getting into new stores has to be the most difficult, I’d say.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We produce pure maple syrup. Along with pure maple syrup, we also produce maple sugar, maple cotton candy, maple cream, and maple coated almonds. We are always trying to bring in new maple products. We want our business to stand out and be different. We are the most proud of what The Syrup Ranch brand has become, but due to the sheer size, we are probably the most recognized for The Four Brothers brand. Our pure maple syrup can be found throughout central MN and neighboring cities and states.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Yes, items are extremely hard to get for production and bottling pure maple syrup. Lead times for ordering supplies are continuing to get longer. Also, due to more people working and/or being at home, people going less places, but the demand has been incredibly strong!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: thesyrupranch.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/thesyrupranch.com