Every dollar from the sales of Jean-Claude Savoie’s maple syrup production go to Fondation Hector Savoie, a charity that assists low-income families in northwestern New Brunswick. SYRUP FOR THE PEOPLE around. We also buy food stamps for the transferred to the evaporation tank to start the syrup process. Not only does the specialty hardwood kids at school so they can buy lunch.” Groupe Savoie decided to brand its Last year Groupe Savoie’s maple syrup products company fill orders for wood pellets for maple syrup producers in Que-sales raised over $10,000 for the foundation. maple syrup “Savoie être bon” or “Savoie The sap is collected from up in the is good” in English. bec and New Brunswick, but Jean-Claude With all the proceeds from the syrup Savoie, chairman and CEO of Groupe mountains on Jean-Claude’s 400-acre Savoie also produces it as a hobby, for a property from 900 tapped maple trees that sales going to help low-income families fill a tank near the bottom of the moun-and others in need throughout the region, good cause. “When we started 12 years ago produc-tain. He then transports the tank via trac-it would be hard to argue that fact. Savoie ing maple syrup, we were giving it all away tor over to his sugar shack where the sap is être bon, indeed. • – friends, customers, family,” recalls Jean-Claude, during a tour of his maple syrup operation in Saint-Quentin. “Eventually people started asking for it, so we thought maybe we can get a few dollars for it.” Instead of keeping all the profits, Jean-Claude decided to do something noble with the proceeds from his sticky venture and donate every dollar from the sales to Fondation Hector Savoie, a charity that as-sists low-income families in northwestern New Brunswick. “We use the funds to mostly help sick people,” Jean-Claude explains. “For exam-ple, if you go to Moncton to get treatment for cancer, the government will pay for the treatment but nothing else. So the travel, the food, the hotels, we subsidize for peo-ple. We also have quite a few motorized wheelchairs for people that can’t move The sap collected from 900 tapped maple trees is transported via tractor over to the sugar shack. Canadian BIOMASS 17
Canadian Biomass July/August 2017: Page 17
