Meet the fantastic trio behind Wild Country Maple Products – Chris Cordes, and the dynamic duo, Carrie and Michael Baker! Located in Lutsen, MN, this tiny-but-mighty team taps about 28,000 trees to make their award-winning maple syrup . Their farm is open year-round for shopping and tours, and you can find their products on their website and retail stores around the state.
In 1995, Chris Cordes’ family kickstarted Wild Country Maple, a 320-acre maple tree haven! Fast forward to 2015, Michael and Carrie took the reins, drawn to syruping by their love for Lutsen, the great outdoors, and of course, the sweet magic of maple syrup.
At the beginning of the year, the farm is busy with tapping trees and making sure all the equipment is ready to go. Sap usually starts to flow in mid-March, but this surprisingly warm February has jump-started the season! Because nature plays a big part in what happens each season, syruping is always an adventure. “Working with nature and getting to be outdoors is what we enjoy most,” says Carrie.
This year, Michael and Carrie decided to create new flavors of maple syrup. After embarking on a journey to Kentucky to pick up fresh bourbon barrels, they created unique flavors like bourbon, bourbon wine, bourbon apple, and cinnamon vanilla!
Michael, Carrie, and Chris love to stay busy year-round. “In the fall, we get to experience the colors of the changing trees and spend time with the many wonderful people who come to the farm,” says Carrie. Wild Country Maple is open all year to visitors so you can enjoy a farm tour and snag some syrup and other goodies!
Find more maple syrup producers in the Minnesota Grown directory!
