Maple 3, purely Canadian vegetable water

Maple 3 , a company that takes the time to perfect its art and its products, to optimize marketing and ensure quality. Maple 3 is the collaboration between Stéphane Nolet, the founder, and the duo composed of Guillaume Crouzet and Yannick Leclerc. I discussed training, maple and vision with Guillaume, an entrepreneur who rushes into his projects and develops ambitious marketing strategies to increase sales figures.

4th generation maple syrup producer

About 8 years ago, the company took shape. Stéphane comes from a long line of maple producers, 4 generations to be exact! Very young, he discovered the secrets of maple and the production of sweet derivatives from its sap. As a young adult, he acquired land because he enjoyed making maple syrup. He then discovered the potential of his land to draw water sources. He then begins to learn about water and natural wells. This is how the idea of ​​marketing maple sap came to his mind. His project was thought out over a long period with several tests, a lot of research and development with Laval University and the department of agricultural sciences.

Conservation and development

"Maple 3 maple water is a slightly sweet vegetable water," Guillaume explains to me. It is important to be able to ensure good filtration to remove all forms of bacteria, without removing natural sugars and minerals. It was essential for the entrepreneur to preserve its unique appearance and avoid distorting it during the conservation process. For five years, Stéphane carried out several bottling tests of the product. And then, three years ago, "Yannick and I joined the team full-time to promote the product," Guillaume told me, adding that "branding is fun and corporate values join us”. It is important to understand that Yannick and Guillaume also jointly manage a consulting and international development company to support Quebec agricultural companies in their export component.

Start on solid foundations

A lot of time passed between the initial idea and the marketing. It is this preparation and this process that makes Maple 3 on its way to becoming a leader in its field. Entrepreneurs have perfected the product while developing expertise in the subject. Recently, the Maple 3 team appeared before the Dragons . Their maple sap was also tested during the show L'Épicerie . This media presence has allowed the company to make itself known to Quebecers. Maple 3 maple water was also nominated as one of the best bottled waters in the world last October by the Global bottled water awards .

Distribution network

In Quebec, Maple 3 is well established in natural product grocery stores, such as Avril, Tau, Rachelle-Berry, in addition to being present in independent grocery stores and large chains. For the international aspect, in three years, the young company has gone from 1 to 10 countries in terms of sales, its turnover continues to double every year and it has bottled nearly a million liters of maple water! "We aspire to become the reference in vegetable water, to follow in the footsteps of coconut water in the Canadian version", adds Guillaume, mentioning that he refers a lot to the success of coconut water to inspire him in the marketing procedures. A large contract has just been signed with a Chinese importer for the development of branding and distribution in this territory.

Production and bottling

As mentioned earlier, maple sap is vegetable water drawn directly from the tree; it is the sap in its pure state. One of the main production difficulties is to properly coordinate the bottling since Maple 3 works with a factory with fixed time slots. Last year, the team had to overcome climatic situations beyond its control. During a winter storm, their cargo truck got stuck on the highway for 11 hours, so they missed their moment of traffic jams, had to pay penalty fees and risk losing water. These times of great stress require entrepreneurs to step out of their comfort zone, look for alternatives and overcome obstacles to keep moving forward. It takes a lot of perseverance, hard work and sustained effort. I t is important that the whole team has a common and clear vision of the way forward for the company.

News and upcoming projects

Maple 3 has just announced a new maple water flavor for the summer, lemon-lime . Another flavor is already in development for next year. "We want to achieve the same success that coconut water has had in the United States, it's a $2 billion market," adds Yannick when we discuss Dream. Maple 3 wishes to become the reference in vegetable waters, and nothing less! For all athletes, maple water from Maple 3 is a natural solution for hydration. It is a pure product, which comes directly from the tree and at the environmental level; only a small hole is made in the tree to extract it. If you haven't tasted their maple water yet, we strongly urge you to give it a try!

To find out more about the company, visit its product page!

Reviewed by Remy-Pierre