Nestled in the heart of Vermont, the West Hill Sugar Orchard carries forward a maple sugaring tradition that began in 1937 when brothers Ernest Ralph and Melvin Livingston built their first sugar house between West Hill Road and Ernest's haying fields. For decades, the operation thrived under traditional methods, with sap collected in galvanized steel buckets and transported by horse-drawn sledge to be boiled on a five by twelve King Evaporator. The stewardship passed through generations, with Arnold Livingston learning the craft from his father Melvin and continuing to welcome visitors with mugs of hot sap and fresh sugar on snow.

By 2014, when young Glenn Cahilly-Bretzin became the orchard's next custodian, the operation had fallen into disrepair and needed extensive restoration. Thanks to contributions from supporters and volunteers in the sugaring community, the orchard was revitalized in 2015, with a complete modernization in 2018 that included a new foundation and frame while preserving the original wood siding. This restoration honored the orchard's past while ensuring it could continue producing high-quality syrup for future generations.

Today, the West Hill Sugar Orchard operates as a sustainable and environmentally friendly sugaring operation, returning to traditional methods that reduce waste and recycle the orchard's resources. They collect sap by bucket, boil it over a wood-fired arch fueled by hardwood harvested from their own land, and bottle exclusively in glass to produce the finest flavors possible. The orchard produces limited quantities of syrup each year, ranging from Vermont Fancy to their darkest grade called Mephistopheles Maple, and welcomes visitors during sugaring season to experience these time-honored techniques firsthand.

Pantry/Other

• Vermont Fancy maple syrup
• Boiler's Reserve maple syrup
• Stuff Worth Fighting For maple syrup
• Magi's Magic maple syrup
• Mephistopheles maple syrup