2 Years On Barn2Door - Ashley Clark with Sacred Roots Maple
In this episode of the podcast, we're excited to welcome back Ashley Clark after almost 2 years since Sacred Roots Maple started on Barn2Door. Listen as she shares how her seasonal family farm in Northern New York, continues to sell out and grow their maple business.
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Rory: 0:26
Welcome to the Direct Farm Podcast. I'm Rory, your host for today's pop. We've got a great conversation for you today with one of our farm advisors, Ashley Clark of Sacred Roots Maple located in Northern New York. Welcome Ashley. It's great to have you back after about a year, since your last time on the podcast.
Ashley: 0:43
Yes, thanks for having me back.
Rory: 0:45
Before we get started. And for those who maybe haven't listened to your original episode on the podcast, could you maybe tell us a little bit about your farm and some of the products that you guys produce?
Ashley: 0:55
Yeah. My husband, Ben and myself run and own a Sacred Roots Maple, which is like a mid size maple farm in West Chazy, so Northern New York, we have two little guys Radison and Wilder, and we manage about 140 acres of literally just a maple farm. So we collect the sap here. We do all the work right here, make the syrup, and then we create, well, we bought all of the maple and then we'd make maple cream, maple melts, which is like a maple candy. We do a lot of maple sugar. We do some packages and then I also make some maple scrub as well.
Rory: 1:29
Awesome. And so how did you and your family kind of get into that? Because it is a very specific product and definitely unique to your region there in the Northeast. How did you and Ben kind of getting the harvesting maple and the whole sugaring process and, and kind of ended up turning that passion into a business?
Ashley: 1:46
Yeah. Well, myself, I did not grow up doing any type of farming at all, nothing like that. I think I actually use Aunt Jemaima maple syrup. Ben however, did work with the maple farmer that we bought the farm from since he was like 14. So he really learned the ropes knows all of the trees and it just became the opportunity for us to purchase the home and the farm. And we did that back in 2016 and just haven't looked back. It's been a great opportunity for us to jump into that type of lifestyle and it just really fits for us.
Rory: 2:20
That's great. And you guys do a really good job of kind of telling the story of that lifestyle. I think both on your website and with your social media. I think the, the written content on your guys' website is awesome at telling customers how you got there and the way that you guys care for your land and your trees. What is kind of the goal for that written content? And when you were laying that out on your website and, what is kind of your process for putting that together?
Ashley: 2:44
I think it started with just me thinking about what I enjoy learning from other farmers. Like when I'm trying to buy local or just support a small farm, small business, I like to read their story and just kind of know, oh okay, I'm not just like picking up a random product, I'm actually supporting this family or this person here's their story. And so I just kind of feel connected that way when I do make purchases. And I, I kind of feel like other people are in a similar place. And so sharing our story, maybe not going in like every detail, because I think it's important to keep like, you know, your personal life personal, but to still be able to, you know, showcase people who you are, where they're buying from so that they have that connection.
Rory: 3:25
Yeah, and that's really cool because you guys can be almost like extra transparent because you guys do every single part of the process. How does being able to tell that entire story does that make your, your job as a, as a marketer, I guess, with your farm and, and does that kind of help communicate that quality of your products?
Ashley: 3:43
Yeah, it does. I know that in the maple industry, you're always given the opportunity. You could buy syrup from other people. If you wanted to, you know, you could take their stuff and bottle it. And we're just really big believers that we want to just make the product that we can from our land. And that's what we do. And so everything from start to finish. Is with us. And even just actually, I think it was a couple months ago we sold out of our syrup and guess we could have bought syrup from someone else, but I just, I just can't get behind that idea. I don't think it's a bad thing. It just doesn't really align for me and for Ben. Were really thankful that we're able to bring that to completion starting here and ending it here.
Rory: 4:21
And maybe for some listeners who, who might not be familiar with that entire process, could you maybe break down the steps of the maple syrup process?
Ashley: 4:29
Yeah. So, right now, actually, we're kind of in the midst of doing a lot of woods work and prepping for the season. For those of you that aren't familiar with maple, it's usually late February that we will start, you know, actually seeing the sap flowing. But for us, we use updated equipment, but we still use a wood-fired evaporator. So we're kind of a blend of like that old and new technology that we have for it. You know, throughout the season, we're collecting the sap, we then are able to have a lot of it brought to the sugar house through the lines, or we actually collect it in different locations. We have an RO system which is reverse osmosis and we have large tanks where we're able to store it. And then from there it's going to be transferred to the big evaporator that we have, which again is wood-fired. Like I said, we manage 140 acres of, of woods. So it makes sense for us to just be able to cut and split our own wood so that we don't have to pay the extra costs of using oil or something else. And then from there, that's how it's boiled. We then use our equipment to can, and to make all of our own products. It's all done right here. From start to finish.
Rory: 5:32
That's really cool. And I would definitely encourage people to go over your social media, your Instagram, and, and check out some of the pictures and videos of that. Cause it's a cool process to see. And definitely looks like it gets cold up there in the Northeast, but yeah, it's really cool to see that, that whole process on your Instagram. Something you touched on last time that you were here, it was kind of, and we were talking about the storytelling and, and how you did. But you mentioned like how you want people to, when they reach for your bottle to kind of think of your story and talk to people about, oh, I get this maple syrup from this family. Maybe they don't even live in New York. They're like, I'm in California. I get this maple syrup from this family out in New York. And I think that really is like the heart of branding and storytelling in general is get so good at telling your story that other people want to tell it for you. How does that kind of help you to build loyalty and trust with your audience?
Ashley: 6:22
Yeah. I think that's a really good question. It's important to remember that, you know, yes, I think within the world of social media, especially, we're always trying to like get new followers or have, you know, new customers, but I think it always, we have to come back to the fact that like, you know, the customers that have been with us for the longest time are the ones that we really are passionate about. And those are the ones that have continued to support us throughout the years. I mean, before we went with Barn2Door, You know, we were getting orders through email, through handwritten letters, through texting, just like all sorts of things. So, you know, we have a strong connection with people. And so I think it's really important to maintain that throughout. Whether that's through your packaging, whether it's through like your marketing materials that you're putting in your boxes, a handwritten note of just like, Hey, thanks for supporting us. I think all of that ties in together.
Rory: 7:08
And I think to something that you do really well is kind of balancing some of those different elements, like, with kind of teaching people about how the process of making maple syrup or kind of fun things of your family at the farm, or giving them kind of family updates, is there one that you maybe prioritize above the rest that you try and kind of make like your, your staple of things that you share, or how do you balance all those kinds of different angles?
Ashley: 7:31
I think people are pretty familiar with maple syrup. So I think for me, I try to approach it in an educational way of like, we don't use any other sweetener. We do use honey, but no other sugars in the home except for maple syrup. So that's the sugar, the cream, the actual syrup. And so educating people like, Hey, it doesn't just have to go on a pancake. You know, it can be incorporated in all sorts of different dishes in the kitchen. And then also the nutritional value as well, cause I think that's really important for people. And then to be able to show that like, Hey, we're not just saying it, but here look what we had for dinner or look how you can use X, Y, and Z. So, I would say that's how I balance it best.
Rory: 8:08
Yeah, that's awesome. I definitely, I was learning all kinds of, of new ways. You can use maple and maple syrup just going through your Instagram. How do you go about managing your social media? Social media can be a bit of a full-time job, really. So what is your approach to managing your social media and your strategy for getting all those together without getting too much time sucked into social media?
Ashley: 8:29
I think we're in a unique position because my husband and I, Ben we work really well together. And so he is not the social media person, like that's key number one, just don't give him that opportunity. So you know, he's doing a lot of like the work that maybe I can't do. Like I said, we have two babies and so I'm home with them and I am able to get like childcare to go out and do stuff in the woods. But for the most part, I'm the one managing the marketing and the social media. It obviously not everyone's going to be in that situation, but that's, what's worked for us. And so for me, I try to set like a timeline. I think it was last year. I kind of set up that I would do three posts a week, a Monday, Wednesday, Friday type posts and setting. Kind of a rhythm of, okay. Mondays I might do, Hey, this is us on the farm. Wednesdays. I might do like a recipe or something. So kind of setting an agenda just to have something to fall over and fall back on too. Cause yeah, like in the midst of life, you know, things come up, you're not always wanting to be creative. It's good to just be able to go back to the plan and say, oh yeah, I'm going to post about this today. And just making them presence as best you can.
Rory: 9:34
You guys have kind of developed a pretty, pretty strong following on your social media is I think you have a few thousand on, on Instagram. Would, do you have any kind of tips or advice for farmers who might be trying to grow that following?
Ashley: 9:46
I think with Instagram and Facebook and all the algorithms, all that good stuff, which again, I'm not like super on top of, but I think again, the consistency is really key. I think following other people that are in similar positions, maybe, so other farmers. I think it's all about supporting, you know, other people in that adventure. So, you know, finding your local businesses and liking their stuff you know, reaching out to maybe other producers in other states or what's. And supporting their stuff as well. I think that's really important. And then you're just being active on the account.
Rory: 10:19
Well, like we said, it's been about a year since you were last on the podcast. So could you maybe kind of just give us a recap of the last year and how things have been on your farm and maybe some of the biggest challenges you guys have faced?
Ashley: 10:30
Yeah, I think you know, I obviously know COVID is still alive and well, and things are still going on with that, but I think a lot of us farmers could agree that it actually hasn't too badly affected our sales. In fact, I think people in this time have really decided to maybe try to support local even more whether that's through an online sale, if you're not local or actually supporting like local farms. So, you know, that that's been really good for us. I think one of the negative was that, you know, with all of this in the past year, we haven't really been able to open up our farm for tours and like an open house that we try to participate in each year. So. That was one thing. We haven't been able to really connect and engage with the community as much as we, we typically like to do. But this year we're really pumped because it is happening in March, April, where people are going to be able to come out and hopefully have sleigh rides and just maple samples and just kind of see people again feel a little bit more human, which will be. Really great. We have been toying around with new packages, but honestly, the biggest thing that happened this year is that we had a new baby. And so, that keeps us pretty busy.
Rory: 11:33
Yeah, definitely. That's a very significant event tends to, tends to back-burner for awhile. Well, that's great to hear. You mentioned some changes with packaging or anything like that. Are there any kind of other big areas of growth or progress that you've kind of seen on the farm?
Ashley: 11:47
The next thing that I'm hoping to start doing is some subscriptions. We've had some customers this year, actually, or this past year asking about that. And so I'd kind of been on the fence about it for a while, but I do think I'm seeing a pattern of certain people ordering, you know, the same type of thing every so often. And so having that option I think is going to be really, really beneficial. So that's one of the things that I'm hoping to just start to grow into. But you know, I think we've continued to minimize our packaging, but just really trying to hone in on just the stuff that we're literally stuffing into the boxes.
Rory: 12:21
That's great. Well, and that kind of leads into the next thing I wanted to talk to you about was is shipping because I think you guys have a pretty specific product that ships very well, as long as, as long as it doesn't break. But how have you guys kind of been able to utilize shipping, to reach more customers and increase your sales?
Ashley: 12:40
I think with our shipping, we've been able to just kind of grow in our understanding of the options that we have. So obviously we are able to ship through our Barn2Door account. We also have our own Shippo account. And so just kind of getting the ability to ship at a certain cost has been helpful for us to be able to, you know, give our customer what they want for a decent price of shipping. The one downside with maple is that it's really heavy. So yeah, shipping isn't exactly cheap, but we're keeping it as cheap as possible. You know, finding the best types of boxes do use, packaging, all of that. So that's been, that's been really good with just having some discounted shipping costs and being able to get things out the door quickly. That's been a huge thing for us.
Rory: 13:23
That's great. And I think something else that's, that's really cool about and specifically kind of with the packaging there is that a lot of buyers, if they're buying from a farmer, the thing that a lot of times they're seeking out is that personal interaction. That's part of why farmer's markets are still such a, good go to market practice for farms because people want to be able to meet their farmer face-to-face and kind of have, their food handed. But obviously with, with shipping, that's not really as much of an option. So how do you still kind of convey that personal relationship when you're shipping products and you mentioned that you do use eco-friendly packaging and things like that that might convey some of your values. So how do those things kind of almost supplement that in-person relationship?
Ashley: 14:03
Aside from just those packaging items that we use, we also have little like postcards that we send out that kind of has like a brief story. And then on the back, we specifically asked the person who designed it to keep some little note lines so that we could just write a quick note to the customer, even if it's just like, thanks for your order, enjoy. Or if it's someone we've known for a while, like hope you're doing well. That's just a way of kind of putting a little bit of a personal touch in the box. You know, obviously it's not the same as a farmer's market, but it's something small that we're able to do.
Rory: 14:34
Yeah, that's awesome. I think little things like that go a really long way, especially when, when they're already getting the experience of getting to buy from your farm and they see your family and things like that on social media, but that's a, that's a cool kind of way to, to welcome them when they open up their box as well. I guess kind of shifting over to your store and your online storefront, how does kind of having that online store as, as opposed to collecting orders with social media and things like that. How has that kind of helped you save a lot of time and just simplify your operations?
Ashley: 15:03
Oh, my gosh, it saved us a ton of time. Before, like I said, we'd get orders like through the most bizarre ways or we'd have sticky notes all over the house. Cause that's kind of my husband's practice and, you know, I don't operate that way. And I like having everything like in one spot. So, that has been, that's just been my favorite part to have everything right in one spot. It just makes things so much easier. Even people that, you know, may not be the best online that they've been able to figure out how to order something. And if they can't, we are happy to help them and walk them through it. So, yeah, that's been amazing.
Rory: 15:36
That's good to hear. The sticky notes, definitely, it works for a little bit, but it can get a little hectic.
Ashley: 15:42
Sometimes writing stuff down is, is really great. But I will say if your goal is to grow and increase your sales, you know, you kind of have to move in a direction of simplicity and keeping things in one space. So, yeah, that was the old way. And now we're very happy and will not be turning back.
Rory: 16:01
That's great to hear and good that it's kind of helping with your sanity too, that it can just kind simplify things.
Ashley: 16:07
That's key.
Rory: 16:08
Especially with the two kids. I'm sure that well, maple syrup is kind of an item that I mean, obviously it's the core product of your farm. And I think. Something that people tend to maybe think of just with like pancakes or waffles or, or maybe some desserts, but you've definitely been able to communicate how many uses and how much value is packed into that one good. Which I think is something that a lot of farmers maybe struggle with is maybe they're growing produce items that people don't really know how to cook or use in their meals. Or they're trying to sell cuts of meat that people aren't familiar with. So how have you kind of been able to. Almost make increase the value of, of that product through the way that you market it and explain it to people, either on the website or in social media.
Ashley: 16:50
Yeah, I think it's definitely all about, you know, a simple, but you know, detailed description of things. So if it's on the website, like, Hey, this is what it is. Here's some of the flavors or whatever the person is trying to sell. And maybe even giving an example, but for social media, I think that's been the best part. Like doing, like its own post or, you know, story about an item and maybe having some like, like an infographic about, you know, what it is, how to use it and just really putting it out there for people. I mean, we've been making maple cream for goodness for a very long time, but there's still people that will reach out and say like, is there dairy in this item? So that just continually shows me that I have to keep educating people on social media of, of an item. So to me, like if I had five items, Maybe one week, I would just do something about one item and then the next week I'd educate people on another item. So realizing that like people don't know and that we need to break it down and help educate them. And that's, that's not a bad thing. That's a really good thing.
Rory: 17:50
Yeah. Awesome. Well, and you, and you mentioned maple cream there, and I think another cool thing that you guys have been able to do. Is ad products around your almost, I guess, your base product being maple syrup. And now I know you offer a bundle of those products. How has that kind of helped you increase your, product offering, but then also the value to customers as well as just more sources of income for your farm?
Ashley: 18:14
Being able to bundle things into a package, you know, ours is called the maple staple where they're getting a variety of things that they can learn, how to use, you know, try out and, and putting it all in one box, I think has been really, really helpful. It's increased sales for us in that way, but also just for people to be able to discover something that maybe they can't find in their local stores or their own farmer's market, depending on what state they're from. So that's for us, I think really key, you know, being a maple farm, we are not necessarily a maple farm. That's trying to take our maple and putting into like a bunch of baked goods. We don't sell that kind of stuff. There's definitely farmers that do. So for us, it's just honing in on the ones that we do sell and just making it and being really proud of that then does all of our products by hand. We don't use a lot of like the extra tools and things that you could get to make things faster. Our processes probably slower, but we definitely think that, you know, it's worth it. So I hope that answers your question.
Rory: 19:12
Oh, it does. That's really cool to hear. And again a cool thing that you get to share with your audience and that is unique to your farm. Sacred Roots Maple has been with Barn2Door for a pretty good long time now. How hasBarn2Door kind of evolved a bit in terms of product innovation or the services and support that you guys receive?
Ashley: 19:29
I think it's almost been two years that we've been a part of Barn2Door, but this past year I've been able to be a little bit more involved in helping maybe other farmers as a farm advisor. And so with that I've been able to kind of learn more about what you guys are offering and what you're doing for people. The other big thing for me is, you know, I always, as I'm using the website or using this stuff to help me streamline things, I will sometimes pop up with questions. And I have noticed that, you know, generally. We're able to kind of resolve things pretty well. And if it's not able to be resolved, it's put on like a list of things to, to look towards doing so, you know, that's been always present, but I feel like for this past year, that's been really helpful as we've seen ourselves, maybe sell more.
Rory: 20:11
And maybe for other maple producers out there or people with just a similar business model. What are some of the aspects of the platform that you kind of see yourself leaning on the most or finding most useful for your farm?
Ashley: 20:22
I mean, definitely the part where I'm managing the page, the store, so updating inventory. I also do like using the automatic, like emails that will go out so I can use just a quick message. Currently, everything is on pause because like I said, we're sold out of maple syrup. But we usually every two or three weeks, send out like a hey, are you at a syrup? Do you need something? And it links to all of the stuff that we have. So that's really big. And then definitely the inventory piece. That's been really helpful too, and using it for shipping as much as we can.
Rory: 20:53
Well, I guess just to wrap up, looking ahead to next year, what are some of the goals for Sacred Roots Maple? What are the things you kind of have planned on the horizon for 2022?
Ashley: 21:03
Yeah. Well, we're really excited. We have our Maple Open Houses coming up. And so we're excited just to get people in the local area, to our farm, to do some samples, we will hopefully have our sleigh rides again. And then this year we're really excited because we're going to hopefully have local historians actually like living out the maple experience based on kind of how it was originally started. So we're excited to kind of dive into more of that education. You know, continuing with our products, having a really good year, hopefully last year, most maple producers really struggled. The weather was just not ideal. And so many of us did not make what we normally would make. So this year we're hoping to kind of get back on track and make as much as we can. We want to just honestly continue the retail relationships that we have and maybe sell some more barrels in bulk. We do still do that as well, which I know other maple farmers do. So just kind of keeping that balance and then again, you know, raising our kids and just enjoying the time that we have.
Rory: 21:59
That's great. Also sounds like some, some really cool on-farm events planned ahead and great to hear the plans that you guys have for the next year. That's all the questions that I had for you. Thanks so much for doing this, Ashley.
Ashley: 22:11
Definitely. Thanks for having me.
Rory: 22:12
I want to extend my, thanks to Ashley for joining us on this week's podcast. Here at barndoor we're humbled to support thousands of farms across the country, including farmers like Ashley, who implements sustainable agricultural practices and support their local community. For more information on Sacred Roots Maple, you can visit sacredrootsmaple.com to learn more about Barn2Door, including access to numerous free resources and best practices for your farm, you can go to Barn2Door.com/resources. Thanks for tuning in. We'll see you next week.