This weekend, several sugar shacks in the province welcomed their first customers of the season, much to the delight of their owners.
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“The fire is almost “pogné” in the cabins, there is so much demand. I’m great. People have not forgotten us and they are there,” said Christine Létourneau, co-owner of the family sugar shack in Sainte-Famille-de-l’Île-d’Orléans.
Proof that demand is strong, Ms. Létourneau even declared: “Reservations are full. We are leaving on April 30. Easter has been full for a month.”
That said, people who are unable to reserve their place or who would prefer to enjoy typical cabin meals in the comfort of their own home can always turn to the meal boxes offered by several establishments.
Despite the palpable enthusiasm in the sector, this sugaring off season is likely to be filled with challenges for shack owners.
For example, many of them struggle to recruit labour.
Not to mention experienced employees who need to pick up the pace and adapt to new ways of working.
This is what Anne Lachance, owner of the sugar shack Le Relais des Pins, located in Sainte-Famille, admitted.
“It’s going well, we were very excited everyone, the former employees, a two-year break, it seems. We are very rusty, if I may say so, but I think people are happy and also understand that we have to get used to all the new health instructions we have and which change very quickly, it’s quite difficult to adjust, but we are going to have a good spring, I think,” she explained.
There is also a slight delay for the first pours of maple sap.
“It started flowing just Friday. We were out of syrup. So I was not able to do taffy. This week, that was the challenge, to know how we manage our stocks, our inventories that we had left, ”said Anne Lachance.