When most people bump into a wall they turn around and walk the other way, but one local couple have made it their mission to scale the wall of impossibility, and we are all going to benefit from it – our taste buds included!
Norman Paupin and his wife Stacey Paupin own a woodlot in Shinimicas, Cumberland County, that they fondly refer to as their “100-acre woods”. Norman is a faculty member with Nova Scotia Community College in the electrical apprenticeship program, and Stacey is a social worker.
The Paupins originally acquired the woodlot with the primary goal of using it for firewood for their home, but after spending countless hours roaming between the trees, they couldn’t help but get curious about other possibilities.
After tripping over an article online, Norman decided to dive a little deeper into the details of creating syrup from their abundance of birch trees. Norman said: “We tap the trees the same as you would a maple tree… so it’s very similar. The differences would be that birch trees actually run after maple, so when maple trees are starting to bud out, that is actually when birch trees start to run. Maple syrup is about a 40-1 ratio, but birch syrup is about 100-1 – so we have a lot more water to get rid of.”
Norman, with the help of his supportive wife, Stacey, have created a brand-new and innovative way to boil the sap at considerably lower temperatures, which allows them to produce a syrup that is golden in colour and delicious in flavour (trust us – we have tried it!)
The Cumberland Business Connector is a constant source of support for established businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs, so they chose to highlight the incredible innovation happening here in Cumberland County. They decided to have a video created that could tell the Paupin’s story and educate the public on the process.
The beautifully shot and very interesting video was produced by Cumberland County based marketing agency Nova Social Media & Marketing, and can be viewed on the Connector’s Facebook page or by clicking the QR code in the below.
We believe that progress for the masses often stems from innovation by the few, and this story is a great example of that. Where some people saw an insurmountable task, Norman Paupin saw a challenge and an opportunity. His inspiring outlook on life and his unwillingness to give up were key catalysts to finding a solution to an apparently impossible problem, and we think there is a lesson in that for all of us.
Keep up the great work Norman and Stacey; we cannot wait to see your syrup on tables all around the world in the years to come!
