ABOUT US

OUR PASSION

Inspired by a passion for making maple syrup

Coming from a family of dairy and maple syrup producers, the Lapierre’s were the first to use a tubed maple water collection system. The idea at the time was to use a vacuum pump to increase the maple water yield. The only extractors available were those used for milking; they were powered by electricity and were not entirely adapted to the sugar bush. Donald Lapierre, who was a professor of Mechanics at the time, invented a simple and effective system to perfect this operation and improve maple syrup production potential.

The origin of the first vacuum extractors

The first mechanical extractor prototypes were made of steel, which made them sensitive to freezing and not very resistant to the high vacuum. In 1976, Lapierre developed the polymer extractor, which became the material of choice for maple syrup production due to its strength, ease of cleaning and resistance to weathering. It is still in use today. Lapierre’s mechanical extractor has seen a period of unprecedented growth for the Quebec maple syrup industry. Between 1974 and today, thousands of units have been produced. They quickly became the industry standard and added to the reputation of the company, which was able to take on new challenges.

Reverse osmosis machine providing long-lasting efficiency

In 1978, new solutions were introduced to the industry. One of the most profitable was the invention of the reverse osmosis filtration system for concentrating maple water. The Lapierre recirculation method quickly became the benchmark for concentrators, mainly due to its long-lasting efficiency, which provides all-day operation at a high Brix level, without cleaning or rinsing the membranes. As such, a complete line of maple water concentrators was developed to meet the needs of small and large sugar bushes.

Durable and energy-efficient, thousands of concentrators are still in operation today. They have become an indispensable piece of equipment for maple syrup producers. By removing more than 50% to 95% of the water contained in the sap, their use results in significant savings in the time, effort and fuel required for evaporation. Lapierre concentrators are unquestionably among the maple syrup industry’s greatest innovations that respect the environment.

This fact certainly has major economic and environmental impacts which help protect nature’s most precious gift to us. As an example, the HYPERBRIX concentration technology, launched in 2015 by Lapierre, makes it possible to concentrate maple water to 35 BRIX in a single pass. This is proof of Lapierre’s unwavering commitment to developing increasingly innovative solutions.

Lapierre Waterloo Small evaporators

In the 1990s, Lapierre experienced steady growth. In 2001, the company had an opportunity to acquire Waterloo Small. With its digital and laser equipment, Waterloo Small is an undisputed leader in the industry. This company specializes in the manufacturing of evaporators and is at the head of a powerful sales and distribution network in Quebec, the other provinces and the United States. This acquisition created the largest operator in the maple syrup industry. Lapierre currently has more than 200 employees working in three plants as well as various sales outlets and distribution centres in Canada and the United States. Its manufacturing plants are located in St-Ludger, Beauce and Waterloo in the Eastern Townships.

A leader in the maple syrup industry

Over the years, Lapierre has created one of the most complete and unique offers through the manufacturing of tubing for collection systems, extractors, concentrators, stainless steel tanks, a complete line of high-performance evaporators and a variety of related products. Everything manufactured in our plants complies with the same rigorous approach to quality and performance.
Lapierre has an impressive sales and distribution network with more than a hundred maple syrup consultants covering every region where maple syrup is produced in Quebec, Canada and the United States.

A research centre – More than 170,000 taps

Simultaneously, Lapierre develops, tests and perfects its products at its research centre, the largest certified organic sugar bush in Quebec. With more than 170,000 taps, it is located in Milan, in the Eastern Townships. Production is processed in a plant set up on the family sugar bush’s site and is exported entirely outside Canada. Lapierre is also a genuine family business with an unconditional commitment to developing innovative products with the utmost respect for the environment and our sugar bushes.