The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) notified us on April 28th that we have successfully been certified as an Organic Maple Syrup producer. The lengthy certification process started in August of last year with a 44 page application and culminated with an intensive inspection of our maple operation by a certified organic inspector last March. This journey has been educational and has assured that we are operating and producing maple syrup at a level that few are able to achieve; a level that meets all the best practices in processing maple sap into organic maple syrup. From tree to table, our maple syrup process assures our customers the best in organic quality and packaging.

OEFFA Certification represents the states with operations in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Only one Certification agency resides in Michigan and focuses mainly on organic agriculture farming. We chose OEFFA Certification because it is the agency most recommend and experienced in certifying organic maple syrup producers and is also the Michigan Maple Syrup Associations (MMSA) recommended choice.

Organic products are grown naturally without the use of any products such as pesticides, chemicals or other non-natural ingredients that have not been approved as organic. In other words, our maple syrup is produced using the highest standards to assure that there is no contamination by any non-organic ingredient or product. Unlike conventional maple syrup, our organic syrup goes through many unique processes, listed as follows:

• The maple woodlots are inspected and certified. Maps and buffer areas, if needed, are listed to assure no non-organic contamination from neighboring areas. 
• Tapping of maple trees are limited in diameter to 16 inches and above to assure proper forest management and no more than one tap per tree.
• Fertilizers and other non-organic substances are not allowed to enhance tree growth nor on surrounding areas such as farmland that is not organic.
• Only approved cleaners are used for cleaning the equipment: we use white vinegar; equipment is restricted to stainless steel and our maple process is lead free. Only organic oils (defoamers) are allowed and must be accompanied by the producers organic certification certificate to assure organic compliance.
• MapleWorxz has a licensed kitchen by the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDARD) assuring cleanliness and process control.
• Our maple syrup production does not employ a Reverse Osmosis process to remove a large percentage of water out of the maple sap before evaporating, thus there is no possibility of any sanitizes used for cleaning and removing bacteria from the osmosis membranes being introduced into our maple syrup production. This assures our maple syrup reflects the utmost organic content.
• Organic certification requires rigorous record keeping and the tracking of batches or lots for process tracibility should there be a problem with the bottles or syrup after the sale.
• An independent organic certified inspector inspects our facility once per year and reissues our organic certification upon approval to assure adherence to the organic certification requirements,
• Our maple syrup production includes a written process for start-up, in process and shutdown to maintain consistent process control.

As you can see from the listing of organic criteria, organic maple syrup provides the best option for your family and assures you of the best process practices, bottling and handling meet the most stringent requirements. Together, these assure you both of the highest quality of syrup and qualifies MapleWorxz as USDA organic certified.