Milligan’s Maple
The Sweet Side of Building a Business Through Relationships

Kevin Milligan, President

When Kevin Milligan, president of Milligan’s Maple Products LLC, started making maple syrup, he wasn’t planning to build a business spanning 18 states. A CPA looking for a different path, Kevin took his mother’s suggestion to make syrup on the family’s forested farm.

He tapped 400 trees that first season and sold the entire crop to a nearby breakfast restaurant. That first customer helped set the direction for the business: grow through relationships with chefs, restaurants and trusted maple producers.

Today, Milligan’s Maple sells more than 30,000 gallons of pure maple syrup annually, supplying restaurants, country clubs, coffee shops, food manufacturers and distributors across 18 states.

Strengthening Wholesale Relationships

A pivotal relationship came when Cameron Mitchell Restaurants brought Milligan’s Maple on board, strengthening the company’s credibility within Ohio’s culinary community and helping open doors to breakfast and brunch concepts, fine-dining restaurants, hotels and country clubs. Appearances on Food Network and Good Morning America further expanded the brand’s exposure.

For Kevin, however, winning an account is only the beginning. He maintains direct relationships with customers, anticipates their needs and looks for ways Milligan’s can add value beyond the product itself.

That philosophy extends to culinary education. Milligan’s donates syrup to culinary-school teaching kitchens and sponsors student cooking competitions and scholarships. Students develop original recipes featuring Milligan’s Maple and present them to faculty and local chefs. Partners include Arizona Culinary Institute, Cincinnati State, Nashville State and Columbus State.

Making an Artisan Product Consistent

Producing an agricultural product that varies with nature makes consistency an ongoing challenge.

Milligan oversees approximately 30,000 maple trees across the company’s Athens, Ohio, farm and affiliated producers in northern Ohio, upstate New York and Wisconsin. Operating across four regions creates a more dependable supply, while partner producers follow the same food-safety and production standards used at the Athens farm.

Quality starts in the forest. Selective thinning opens the canopy, providing maple trees greater access to sunlight and nutrients. Solar panels provide part of the farm’s power, while fallen trees supply wood for the evaporator.

It takes roughly 40 to 50 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of pure maple syrup. Reverse osmosis removes much of the water before the concentrated sap reaches the wood-fired evaporator, improving efficiency. The finished syrup is carefully filtered, graded and packaged or used in value-added products including maple popcorn, maple puffs and maple-glazed nuts.

Turning Customer Needs Into Innovation

“We maintain an open line of communication with chefs to see how we can customize our product offerings to meet their needs,” says Kevin.

That communication has become a source of product innovation. Requests from chefs for sweetness with heat led to a cayenne-infused hot maple syrup.

Milligan’s bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup, introduced in 2015, followed extensive experimentation with aging times before the company settled on six to eight months. The alcohol-free finished syrup develops characteristics from the bourbon barrels and is used by chefs in everything from seafood glazes to ice cream and crème brûlée.

Customer relationships are also helping Milligan’s expand beyond syrup. With approximately 99.5 percent of sales coming through wholesale, retail and e-commerce represent significant opportunities. Maple trail mix and maple puffs have already gained traction with existing hotel and country club customers.

A new 2,200-square-foot production facility, replacing the company’s 340-square-foot building, will increase capacity for both syrup and value-added products while supporting plans to tap more trees.

A new 2,200-square-foot production facility, replacing the company’s 340-square-foot building, will increase capacity for both syrup and value-added products while supporting plans to tap more trees.