Marketing Strategies of Maple Sugarhouses in the United States and Canada: A Comparative Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT The successful marketing strategy of maple sugarhouses requires the identification of a target market and development of a marketing mix (product/service, place, price, and promotion) that will best satisfy the needs of this target market. This research was conducted to investigate whether there were differences in the marketing strategies implemented by sugarhouses in Canada and the United States to meet the needs of visitors. A census of all the sugarhouses in the contiguous regions of southern Quebec, eastern Ontario and northeastern New York/northwestern Vermont were visited by multiple observers. Systematic observations using a detailed grid of variables were compiled for each establishment. More similarities than differences were found in the three regions, although one important difference was that Quebec sugarhouses had more favorable pricing strategies.