Artisan maple syrup brand enhances environmentally sustainable mission by installing solar panels at manufacturing headquarters
Vermont Business Magazine, May 11, 2019
Runamok Maple, a maker of all-natural, organic maple syrup that is produced from maple trees located along the northwest slopes of Vermont’s Mount Mansfield, partnered with Vermont-based Norwich Solar to convert its 55,000 square foot production facility to operate exclusively on solar energy. The transition stems from the company’s dedication to developing an environmentally sustainable operation.
Runamok Maple began planning the conversion to solar power when it first moved to its Fairfax, Vermont, facility in mid-2018. The new location provided the growing company with more space to expand its business and bring new jobs to the local community. The headquarters currently house the company’s bottling, manufacturing, shipping, and administration departments.
With a wide roof and good southern sun exposure, Runamok Maple, in partnership with Norwich Solar, determined that the facility was ideal for solar panel installation. The project required Runamok Maple to replace and insulate the roof to support the new panels, making it a significant investment. However, the company has earned a substantial reduction in electrical costs, and the newly installed solar panels will generate all of Runamok Maple’s existing and anticipated power needs.
“We went into this business with the philosophy that we were going to make it as environmentally sustainable as possible,” said Laura Sorkin, co-founder of Runamok Maple. “We were already in love with the idea that we could have an agriculturally-based business, where habitat and manufacturing could coexist so well. With the production facility, we wanted to take the same approach and make it eco-friendly wherever we could.”
