At Miller’s Purely Maple, located about five miles north of US-6 between Mansfield and Wellsboro in scenic Tioga County, the highest-quality maple products are produced by Dale and Melanie Miller.
Dale and his brother started tapping trees and boiling syrup to give to his family and friends as a hobby in the 1970’s, but got out of the business for a few years. Then, he married Melanie, whose family produced maple on their farms, and once again sparked Dale’s interest in sugaring.
In 1995, they decided to begin again in earnest, tapping 100 trees and making forty gallons of syrup in that first year alone. A local farmer readying to retire sold his equipment to the Millers that fall, and the following spring, Dale and Melanie produced 180 gallons from 600 taps on the Miller Farm, with plans to expand in following seasons. Dale and Melanie have created quite a business, averaging 1000 gallons of syrup produced on the farm each season, reaching a goal set for themselves in the early days of their business. Though the Millers still fire with wood, their entire operation is on a tubing system, with underground pipelines to carry the sticky, sweet sap to the sugar house.
The Millers use only food-grade plastic and stainless steel equipment to create prize-winning, preservative-free maple syrup. A video detailing the Millers’ operation is available that tells about the history and production processes at the farm, and contains general information about pure maple syrup. Melanie also designs labels for her syrup bottles which highlight area attractions such as the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, Hills Creek State Park and other scenic views and cultural events. The retail shop, open year-round, stocks syrup, cream, sugar, candy and maple-coated nuts and a variety of seasonal maple goodies for sampling. He now seeks to improve and upgrade the current operation by doing things such replacing the tubing in the woods. The Miller family now seeks to create a more efficient operation and spend more time promoting and selling the maple products that they produce.