Austin Felis II and Lauren Santagata Felis on their property in Dorset. Photo courtesy Dorset Maple Reserve
How do you mark the start of a family-run maple syrup company? Do you begin with the limestone and marble deposits that give southwest Vermont’s soil its distinct sweetness? Do you start with when the sugar maples were planted? Do you pick up 45 years ago, when the Felis family bought the Dorset property? Or do you focus on the day in 2013 when Austin bottled his first gallon of maple syrup?
Austin Felis II of Dorset Maple Reserve chooses to begin in 2012. “Our story is basically a quality-of-life issue,” Austin says. “As my wife Lauren and I started our family, we wanted to move out of the suburbs of Connecticut and up to Vermont.” As for maple syrup, Austin says, “We kind of fell into it. Our land is made up of 89 percent sugar maple.”
Today, their property has 50,000 trees on 517 acres, of which they’ve tapped 120 acres. Their 10,000 taps generate an annual production of a little less than 5,000 gallons of syrup. Austin manages all aspects of production, while Lauren carries out marketing, recipe development, and social media. Currently, their three young daughters’ main contributions lay in R&D.
Today, the Felis’s property has 50,000 trees on 517 acres, of which they’ve tapped 120 acres. Their 10,000 taps generate an annual production of a little less than 5,000 gallons of syrup.
Beautiful foliage at Dorset Maple Reserve. Photo: Lauren Santagata
From the beginning, Austin and Lauren aimed to expand people’s ideas of what you can do with maple syrup. While they sell a Rich Amber Maple Syrup, they also offer a Smoked & Spicy Syrup, infused with organic serrano peppers, and a Bourbon Barrel Aged Syrup, aged for six months—far and away their best seller. Their products are available on their website as well as distributed in 38 states domestically. In addition, Austin participates in 15 to 20 various craft events throughout New England each year, and, each holiday season, they operate a kiosk in the bustling Bryant Park Winter Village in Manhattan.
Beyond their syrup business, they also have Maple Reserve Café in Manchester, run by Lauren. There, people can sample and buy their products and enjoy a delicious maple-centric menu that features essential offerings such as lattes and creemees, as well as baked goods, house-made sweet and savory waffles, and creative cocktails. The Bourbon Barrel Aged Syrup is featured in drinks such as the Rosemary Maple Sour, while the Smoked & Spicy Syrup is drizzled on the Cornbread Cowboy Waffle.
From the beginning, Austin and Lauren aimed to expand people’s ideas of what you can do with maple syrup.
When it comes to the future, Austin views it as a business owner and farmer. He is well aware that any growth must be done with intentionality, prioritizing the health of the forest. The property is in a state program that helps protect it. “We’ve worked with a forester to set up a plan for what we call thinning, which is basically select logging to help force regeneration,” says Austin, who relishes the quieter months when he can connect with the land. As a business owner, he is working on an expansion that will double their operation, allowing them to offer new products and to sell their products year-round (the last two years, they’ve sold out). However, Austin is aware it’s not the worst problem to have. “It just feels good to know that people want the product. You know, it makes you feel like you’re doing something right.”
