Patterson Farms

About

For over a century, the Patterson family has been rooted in the rolling hills of Sabinsville, Pennsylvania, where they’ve nurtured a tradition as rich as the maple syrup they produce. It all began in the 1920s when Orin Patterson tapped his first trees, gathering sap with horse-drawn sleds and handmade wooden spiles carved from sumac. In those early days, syrup was boiled over wood fires in a humble sugarhouse, and maple sugar—poured into molds and scraped for use—was the household staple, far more common than white sugar. Orin ran the sugarhouse while Grandma Patterson crafted cream, candy, and sugar in the kitchen, making do with what they had and pouring love into every drop.

As the years passed, each generation added to the legacy. Orin’s son, Clifton, modernized the process slightly—trading Dobbin the workhorse for a Farmall tractor and replacing wood and iron tools with tin and steel—but the syrup remained just as pure. When Clifton passed the farm to Richard, the scale expanded dramatically. Driven by a growing demand, Richard embraced new technology while holding tight to the family’s values. Plastic spiles, vinyl tubing, reverse osmosis systems, and turbo diesel-fired evaporators entered the picture, allowing the Pattersons to tap over 80,000 trees while maintaining the hands-on care that made their syrup exceptional.

Even now, the original trees Orin tapped are still part of the harvest, and the spirit of the old sugarhouse lives on in the bustle and camaraderie that fills the air each sugaring season. The Patterson sugarhouse hums from November to April, fueled by strong coffee, loyal workers, and the urgency of boiling sap before it overwhelms the system. Innovations like a remote tank monitoring system and three state-of-the-art stainless steel sap silos help manage the modern load—each silo holding up to 17,000 gallons and equipped with cleaning and filtration features to keep the operation efficient and the syrup pure.

Despite all the advancements, one thing remains unchanged: a deep family pride. After Richard’s passing in 2017, his son Terry and wife Terri stepped in as the fourth generation of Patterson sugar makers, continuing Richard’s vision with skill and heart. Today, the Pattersons not only produce award-winning, PA Preferred maple syrup and products—they are also the largest family-owned maple producer in Pennsylvania and owners of the state’s largest registered herd of Belted Galloway cattle. Their story is one of tradition and innovation, bound together by maple and love, generation after generation.

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