Quebec Sugar Shacks Are Now Delivering So You Can Get All The Maple Goodness At Home

It's no big secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has totally sucked. Between lockdowns, curfews, contagion scares and loss, it can be hard to find anyone who wasn't negatively impacted by the last two years. That's why it's so refreshing to find at least one industry that was completely rejuvenated because of the pandemic: Quebec's sugar shacks.

In 2020, sugar shacks were faced with the same issue as restaurants and retailers: between restrictions and social distancing guidelines, nobody was able to enjoy going to sugar shacks for outdoor fun and sweet treats.

That's why in 2021, more than 50 sugar shacks across the province came together to modernize the business by selling ready-made meals online. The Ma cabane à la maison online store was born.

While maple syrup production in Quebec is still a booming industry — 73% of the maple syrup produced globally comes from Quebec — sugar shack numbers were already in decline before the pandemic began. According to the Ma cabane à la maison website, 30.5% of sugar shacks closed down in the last decade.

"Little did my grandfather know when he opened his sugar bush in 1948 that his granddaughter one day would be scrambling to save Québec's maple-syrup heritage and the family business along with it," said Stephanie Laurin, Chair of the Association of Québec Sugar Shacks and co-owner of Chalet des érables in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines.

Ma cabine à la maison is the industry's first widescale attempt at taking the traditionally "Mom & Pop" industry to a digital marketplace. Ma cabane à la maison allows Quebecers to order ready-made sugar shack staples online and have them delivered to their doors.

Shoppers can choose from over 50 sugar shacks with unique menus, including the local Sucrerie de la Montagne in Rigaud, which offers a deluxe box of goodies including sausages, back bacon and sugar pie. Yum!