When it comes to maple syrup, Hélène and Pierre-Yvon Alary ain’t no rookies. As the owners and operators of Sucrerie Alary, the pair has been in the maple syrup game since 1977. A quaint sugar shack with a storied legacy, Sucrerie Alary is renowned within the region. Fulfilling the syrup needs of Ottawa Valley residents for decades, Hélène and Pierre-Yvon have built a loyal clientele base that has come to transcend a conventional business relationship.
Upon entering Sucrerie Alary, you’ll likely be met with Hélène’s welcoming smile. Standing behind the storefronts countertop, her cordial energy beckons you inward. All around you lie the trappings of an authentic, traditional sugar shack. Family pictures – both current and from decades past – adorn the walls. Gingerly placed maple products sit atop the cabin’s wooden shelves. A fire burns ardently within the cabin’s wood-fire stove, filling the room with warmth as it does so. Even for someone who has never set foot in Sucrerie Alary before, there is something familiar – perhaps even homelike – about the setting.
After speaking with Hélène, she calls for Pierre-Yvon. Her husband and coworker, Pierre-Yvon enters through the building’s side door with an infectious and unmistakable enthusiasm. Without hesitation, he whisks you away to the pride-and-joy of any self-respecting sugar shack – the evaporator. An imposingly large yet undoubtedly beautiful contraption, the evaporator is the device used to boil down the collected maple sap into the viscous and delectable maple nectar we all know and love. As the fire roars at the evaporators base, aromas of burning wood and maple hang in the air. Both Pierre-Yvon and Hélène look upon the evaporator pridefully. The cornerstone of Sucrerie Alary, it is the evaporator where the extent of Pierre-Yvon and Hélène’s hard work comes to fruition.
“Maple business is a year round business,” said Pierre-Yvon ardently.
Aside from the famously time consuming process of boiling down maple sap into the thick-flowing syrup we use to enliven our breakfasts, much needs to be done behind the scenes to facilitate the process. Wood needs to be cut, machinery needs to be maintained, boiling pans need to be cleaned, filters need to be changed, plastic tubing – used in the collection of sap – needs to be repaired. The life of a maple syrup producer, it would seem, is one of diligence and effort.
So why do Helen and Pierre-Yvon do it? What has kept them motivated over the decades and how, after so many years, have they retained a vivacious commitment to their craft? Unconcerned with yielding profits, it is the combination of their loyal customers and the familiarity of the maple routine that sustain them in their efforts.
A longstanding producer of maple products within the region, Sucerie Alary is as much a part of Hélène and Pierre-Yvons springtime routine as it is their customers. In an act of tradition, families from throughout the Ottawa Valley and beyond have been coming to Sucerie Alary to fulfill their maple needs for years. According to Hélène and Pierre-Yvon, it is these families and community members that purchase the lionshare of their products.
Induced initially through the promise of delectable maple delicacies, it is the welcoming spirit of the Alary’s and the allure of tradition that keeps them coming back. Taking place over decades, Hélène and Pierre-Yvon have watched families grow and new generations arrive to enjoy both their syrup and the innate magic of their sugar bush. It is these interactions that sustain Hélène and Pierre-Yvon.
“It’s funny to say but for us, just having the public around is very enjoyable,” said Hélène. “We find it relaxing.”
“Parents often have problems getting their kids to leave,” said Pierre-Yvon with a laugh.
Aside from the connections fostered through years of community interaction, it is the routine and humble process of sugaring that drives the Alary’s. An undertaking defined by hard work and devotion, the crafting of maple syrup takes Hélène and Pierre-Yvon out into the bush. Surrounded by statuesque maples towering high above the forest floor, the tribulations and complexities of modern life seem to melt away. As winter transitions in spring, Hélène and Pierre-Yvon bear witness to the captivation of the changing seasons.
“I often say ‘nature is waking’. We get to watch the migratory birds arrive and the trees bloom,” said Hélène. “We are very grateful for that.”
A passion project many decades in the making, Sucrerie Alary remains constant in its offerings of community and scrumptious maple products. What began as a job has become an indispensable fixture within the lives of both Hélène and Pierre-Yvon. Those who began as their customers have become their friends and a craft many would consider arduous has become their respite from the outside world.
