Fuller's Sugarhouse Adds Family and Capacity

New sugar house under construction for Fuller's Sugarhouse. Courtesy photo.

Fuller’s Sugarhouse in Lancaster is building a 3,200 square-foot sugarhouse on Route 2 in Jefferson, along with 1-million-feet of piping to transport sap directly from the maple trees to the sugarhouse for production. The family-owned business also brought on Jim Fuller, son of owners Dave and Patti Fuller, to assist with the new expansion.

Started in 1972, Fuller's Sugarhouse taps more than 10,500 maple trees and boils more than 174,000 gallons of maple sap to produce more than 4,000 gallons of maple syrup. Rachel Ray’s EveryDay magazine  for July/August 2015 featured Fuller’s Sugarhouse pure maple candy as one of the top mail order treats in the nation.

The new sugarhouse is located on a 723-acre parcel within the 10,000-plus-acre Randolph Community Forest. The sugarhouse construction is expected to be completed by the beginning of November.

The sugarhouse will contain an evaporator and three climate-controlled tanks with a combined capacity of 18,000 gallons. “The sap will be piped directly into climate-controlled tanks inside of the new sugarhouse and not be exposed to air until production,” says owner Dave Fuller. “This gives us even more control over the final product and continue our ability to ensure food safety and quality.”

Russell, Ed, Jim, and Dave Fuller

Visitors interested in learning how maple syrup is produced will see the entire maple syrup production process in one location. Fuller expects that this addition will increase the size of his current operation.

Dave Fuller was 17 years old when he started his first sugarhouse, a small shack in the woods with a mud floor and a used evaporator that cost him $300. Over the years, Dave Fuller and his wife Patti established the sugarhouse and Country Store in downtown Lancaster to be more accessible to visitors. The Fuller Maple Farm, where the new sugarhouse is being built, is the next evolution for the Fullers. “It took a lifetime to get to this point,” says Dave. “This is truly a labor of love.”