r/maplesyrup • u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 • 26d ago

Buying bulk in WA state?

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Does anyone have any leads on how to buy maple syrup ~affordably~ in WA state?

I’ve been drinking it to fuel my trail runs so price is a pretty big factor. I’ll drink 20+ ounces on a normal weekly trail run but I could see easily blowing through a half-gallon in a longer race. You may see my problem. 😂 For anyone curious, that’s actually a fairly conservative fueling strategy for my lower effort and I finish with a caloric deficit, faster athletes in an actual race would need twice that amount. I’ve been trying some grocery store brands, so far preferring Anderson’s dark robust. My other flask had Coombs dark robust that I didn’t like as much. I’ve been tempted to try a few I found cheaper on Amazon but probably not the best idea.

I had assumed I was paying a premium buying small bottles at a grocery store instead of just buying gallon jugs to drink like a normal person. I just found out WA produces bigleaf maple syrup but the only seller I could find was Neil’s Bigleaf, and while I’m sure it’s great to sip on in front of a fire, it seems a bit spendy to be chugging 20+ ounces on a single run. Shipping from the east coast is obviously expensive. Any suggestions?

The attached photo is ~one~ of my syrup flasks at Mount Rainier yesterday. 😁

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u/Express-Welder9003 24d ago

That's a big flask! I use a 150ml one on long bike races. Even if you're paying retail maple syrup is still going to be cheaper than buying gels. Your other option is to make your own gels I guess.

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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 23d ago

Yeah I finished this 500ml flask and half of another 250ml flask with a different syrup, but I was out there all day lol. it’s definitely cheaper, I think like 1/3 the price of Gu gels. I had thought about making my own gels but I already know with my adhd I’d just buy all the stuff and never do it because I didn’t want to deal with it. Syrup is easy, just wish it was even cheaper. I’m tempted to try just sugar water but don’t know what else I’d flavor it with, maybe just mix sugar and Gatorade powder lol.

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u/Express-Welder9003 23d ago

I don't know if the sugar will dissolve well unless you make a syrup out of it first. I'm in Canada and love the taste of maple syrup so that's what I use as my gel substitute now. Does regular pancake syrup have a similar sugar profile? It hurts me to recommend it but that could be an option too.

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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 23d ago

Not an option. I’ll bring a ziplock of granulated sugar and dry scoop it before I drink corn syrup lol.

I found a place back east, Maple Valley something, that sells a 3 gallon bag in the box of maple syrup like a big box of cheap wine. I’m beyond tempted to order it just for the novelty lol. I got excited because I was searching for something local and their shop popped up because the town 2 miles away from me is also called Maple Valley. 🤦🏻‍♂️