‘Sugar Bob’ still making maple syrup after nearly 75 years

DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine (WABI/Gray News) – A man in Maine is celebrating 75 years of syrup making.

Bob Moore, 85, said his passion for maple syrup began from a simple gesture from a neighbor when he was just 10 years old.

“I was hanging around, and he passed me a pail and said, ‘Help me get the sap.’ And that was the beginning,” Moore said.

Known as “Sugar Bob” or “Mr. Sugar,” Moore opened Bob’s Sugarhouse in the 1980s.

And while the sugarhouse grew in popularity, a devastating fire in March of 2001 forced them to pivot.

“It’s strange because you see what you built going up in smoke and flames,” Moore said.

But Moore and his wife weren’t ready to give up on the business.

“Burned down, you build it back up,” Moore said.

Building it from the ashes up, Moore says he was inspired by the nostalgia of an old log cabin.

“Everything was hand-cut by me and sawed out on a portable band saw,” he said.

Fast-forward to today, Moore and his wife have traveled up and down the Maine coast, sharing their sweet maple goodness with many communities. They’ve also opened an online store.

“We make sugar, we make candy, we make fudge. We make all the products,” Moore said.

Every maple syrup producer makes their syrup a little bit different. But for Moore, it’s not only how he makes the syrup, but who it supports. As a veteran himself, Moore has given away thousands of bottles to members of the armed forces.

Moore is now 85 years old and has been making maple syrup for 75 years. But if you ask him how long he plans to keep making maple syrup, he’ll tell you he has no plans to stop.

“Until they put the dirt in my face. Until I physically can’t,” he said. “I’m still going. As long as the good Lord will keep me upright, I’ll be making syrup.”

Bob’s Sugarhouse will be participating in Maine Maple Sunday Weekend on March 23 and 24. For a full list of those participating, visit mainemapleproducers.com.