Northern Michigan Maple Syrup
Lowell Beethem
5167 Riggsville Road
Cheboygan, MI 49721
231 627-3337

For 50 years, Lowell Beethem has been in the syrup business. He began as a boy and describes, “Dad had spiles and a few old buckets.” He tapped a few trees in their yard and boiled it down on his mother’s wood cookstove. “That was, until the wallpaper came down,” he remarked. “Then I got kicked outside.”

Like many modern-day producers, Beethem started small and continually expanded and upgraded. Throughout this time, his family has always helped him: his wife Jean and daughters Chrissy, Angela, and Stacy. His current operation consists of a 5x14 wood-fired pan with approximately 1600 trees. “We tried propane for awhile, but I like wood better,” he said. “It’s more work, but I think it adds something extra to the syrup.” The tubing and vacuum system add to the efficiency of his operation, too.

“Most of our trees are smaller and mostly interior,” Beethem said. “We don’t get the quart per tap that some people talk about.” The average yield for his sugarbush is approximately 250 gallons of syrup / year, which he sells out of the family home, local farmers’ market and several roadside stands. Beethem also produces and sells maple candy.

Just like he has since the beginning of this hobby, Beethem is still tapping trees on family property. What has he learned since his humble beginnings at age nine? “We can’t control the weather,” he said. “It controls us. Maple sap flow is unpredictable.”