Responsible Manufacturer Benchmark - PASSAMAQUODDY MAPLE SYRUP

The name "Passamaquoddy" derives from the word peskotomuhkati, which literally means "people of the pollock-spearing place." The Passamaquoddy people have lived and flourished since time immemorial within our Aboriginal Lands primarily in Eastern Maine and Western New Brunswick, Canada. We live along the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and its numerus bays and rives within the deep forest. For over 15,000 years the Passamaquoddy Bay and neighboring Bays have provided an abundance of salt-water food fish due to the productivity of the deep, cold, strong upwelling currents. The diversity of fish within the Passamaquoddy Bay region and deep forest was truly magnificent, fitting the description of a "Garden of Eden" Nature provided everything the Passamaquoddy people needed to thrive in this environment we developed an Indigenous Economy. For millennia, the Passamaquoddy way-of-life was to hunt, fish, trap and gather food and medicine and to employ the natural resources of the environment to sustain our communities. Ove the past 500 years the encroachment and degradation of the resources in our homeland forced Passamaquoddies to adapt, forcing a shift away from our traditional indigenous economy. We had to find alternative ways to survive and feed our families. Today there are about 3,600 Individuals on the Passamaquoddy tribal census rolls. There are three distinct self-governing Passamaquoddy communities within the tribe’s ancestral homeland. Two communities are located in Maine, Indian Township and Pleasant Point, and the third is located at St. Andrews, New Brunswick. Each community is separated by geography but the people continue to maintain close political, social and kinship ties. Throughout the history of the Passamaquoddy people, we have lived off of the land. One of our Indigenous food gathering methods included harvesting the sweet sap from the Mahgan (Sugar Maple). In 2013 the Passamaquoddy Tribe created an economic development project to tap into this traditional natural resource: maple syrup. Owning more than 65,000 acres in northern Maine, where the predominant tree species is Mahgan (Sugar Maple), we have an abundant resource to harvest, however we have lacked the funding to purchase equipment, hire staff to take our product to market. Through the diligence of many, especially tribe leadership, in 2014 we raised enough funding to break ground and purchase sustainable tapping equipment to build sugar houses and raise a bottling facility, all on our tribal land in Prentis Township and Moose River Maine. Since our operation began we have tapped over 10,000 trees and produced over a thousand gallons of maple syrup, we have also created 6 seasonal and full-time jobs for the Passamaquoddy people. We strive to produce the best Grade A quality of Maple Syrup, and are proudly organic certified by the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association. We would like to personally thank you for purchasing Passamaquoddy Maple Syrup, and your gracious support for our venture.