International Maple Grading School
The International Maple Grading School is for maple producers, bulk syrup buyers, state inspectors, and others needing to accurately grade maple syrup or judge maple product entries at fairs and contests.
We are North America's Maple Community
We Make 100% Pure Maple Syrup
We Enable Forest Stewardship and Carbon Capture
We Stand for Thousands of Locals That Make Up Our Maple Community
We Make One of the World's Most Loved Natural Sweeteners
THE IMSI’S SERVICE TO THE MAPLE INDUSTRY
The IMSI serves maple industry stakeholders in Canada and the United States by providing an industry-wide, member-based forum that fosters dialogue and collaboration.
Since our inception in 1975, we have grown to a membership of maple industry leaders including producers, associations, distributors, equipment manufacturers, and science and education institutions. Our organization promotes and protects pure maple products with advocacy in legislation, proactive monitoring and research. The IMSI upholds our maple syrup traditions with values and standards that will carry the industry far into the future.
Upcoming Events
Get involved with your fellow maple peers!
Initiatives and Impact
Learn about the various way IMSI advocates for it's maple syrup community.
Standardized Maple Grading
Working with Canadian and U.S. jurisdictions, the IMSI standardized the grading system throughout the U.S. and Canada, resulting in clear and consistent description on labels. This helped consumers understand and buy maple syrup, and simplified sales and distribution.
Funding Continuous Learning
Since 2008, the IMSI has funded the IMSI Maple Grading School and Quality Control Program, providing training to over 1,000 maple producers and transformers.
Improving and Sharing Data and Information
The IMSI worked with USDA's NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) to improve the accuracy of the production data and supports and disseminates market and consumer data to its members.
Protecting the Integrity of Pure Maple Syrup
The IMSI is working with governments to develop a new Standard of Identity and applying for a CODEX listing, thus preventing counterfeit, artificial or adulterated products that falsely claim to be real maple syrup.
Promotion of Research and Grants
Through our grants, we provide financial support to deserving researchers and organizations, fostering a vibrant and dynamic community dedicated to actively cultivating innovation.
Regulatory Guidance
The IMSI works with government regulatory agencies to help achieve mutually beneficial policy objectives that are good for maple consumers such as the specific labeling requirements for single-ingredient packages like pure maple syrup.
Collaborative Science and Technology Leadership
The IMSI promotes collaborative approaches to maple research and development and technology transfer to maple producers by working with maple centers of excellence such as Centre ACER (Québec), University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center, Cornell University Maple Program and Arnot Research Forest and University of Maine.
OUR MEMBERS
The maple community is the foundation of the IMSI.
We embody a vibrant maple business community, featuring a strong network, comprehensive industry insights and the exclusive opportunity to sculpt the future of the maple syrup industry. Join us in collectively addressing challenges and ensuring the economic viability of businesses like yours, all while staying connected with fellow maple professionals.
Photo courtesy of UVM Proctor Maple Research Center