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Roscommon Today
By the People, for the People
Sweet Success for Mio Maple Syrup Producers
The Schmucker family has been tapping maple trees for generations, producing thousands of gallons of syrup each year.
Apr. 18, 2026 at 11:36am
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The Schmucker family's artisanal maple syrup bottles become a vibrant pop art celebration of Northern Michigan's cherished agricultural tradition.Roscommon TodayThe Schmucker family of Sweet Success Sugarbush in Mio, Michigan has been tapping maple trees and producing maple syrup for over four generations. Each year during the spring sap season, they hand tap around 6,500 maple trees across 80 acres, using 7,000 spouts in total with the help of their five children and six grandchildren. The sap is then processed through a reverse osmosis system and evaporator to create 3-4,000 gallons of pure, golden maple syrup annually.
Why it matters
Maple syrup production is an important part of Northern Michigan's agricultural heritage and economy. Families like the Schmuckers have kept this tradition alive for decades, providing a locally-sourced, natural sweetener to the community while also offering educational opportunities for visitors to learn about the maple syrup making process.
The details
The Schmucker family begins tapping their maple trees in early March, using a gravity and vacuum-fed tubing system to collect the sap in large tanks. They then use a reverse osmosis system to remove about 85% of the water, before further processing the remaining syrup through a 4x14 evaporator. The final product is filtered, jarred, and canned in their on-site sugar house kitchen.
- The maple syrup season begins the first week of March each year.
- The Schmuckers hand tap around 6,500 maple trees across 80 acres.
- They produce 3-4,000 gallons of maple syrup between March and April.
- At the end of the season, all 7,000 taps are pulled from the maple trees.
The players
Abe and Ruth Schmucker
Owners of Sweet Success Sugarbush in Mio, Michigan, carrying on a four-generation family tradition of maple syrup production.
Sweet Success Sugarbush
A family-owned maple syrup operation in Mio, Michigan that produces thousands of gallons of pure maple syrup each year.
What they’re saying
“Ruth's side of the family has tapped maple trees for 4 generations. When we married in 1994, we began with 15 taps and boiled the sap in a copper syrup pan on cinder blocks out in the woods- it was a lot of fun.”
— Abe Schmucker, Co-owner, Sweet Success Sugarbush
What’s next
The Schmuckers will host an open house event at their sugar house on March 28th, where visitors can learn about the maple syrup making process and sample their products.
The takeaway
The Schmucker family's commitment to preserving the tradition of maple syrup production in Northern Michigan is a testament to the region's agricultural heritage. Their hard work and dedication have allowed them to grow Sweet Success Sugarbush into a thriving, multi-generational business that provides a beloved local product to the community.
