COTTAGE INDUSTRIES ARE MAKING A COMEBACK

Cottage Industries are small businesses that operate in a home, shop, or farm setting run by family members. They embody traditional trades, agricultural pursuits, or older artisan industries. Examples include maple syrup and honey production, pottery, microbreweries, distilleries, and woodworking. In recent years, the number of cottage industries has exploded in Western Pennsylvania.

This commentary will focus on two regional cottage industries: maple syrup and honey production. My sources include a family engaged in each enterprise. My brother-in law, Everett Sechler, has operated a maple “sugar shack” in Somerset County for several decades.  Philip Costello from Washingon County operates a family door and millwork business with his son, Eric. In recent years, the family expanded into a honey producing business.

Some general observations are in order after speaking with both individuals. For cottage industries to be successful there must be a hard-working family willing to risk capital in a labor-intensive business. Just as important, there must be consumers willing to pay more for a higher quality or healthier product.

Second, cottage industries are a testament to the enduring appeal of craftsmanship, tradition, and excellence in a world overrun by mass- produced products. These small-scale businesses maintain a link to agrarian or artisan history while adapting to the demands of the modern market.

Third, technology has greatly improved the ability of cottage industries to operate, advertise, and compete with large companies. Moreover, cottage industries are creating opportunities for people with specialized skills to enrich the local economy.

Maple Syrup Production. While my discussion of the resurgence of maple syrup production will center on Somerset County, fondly known as “the land of milk and maple,” syrup production is also making a comeback in Washington County. Local producers like “The Rustic Rock Maple Farm” sell their product at farmer’s markets and festivals throughout the region. Fourteen public maple syrup events in the Pittsburgh region celebrate “syrup season” in early spring.

Somerset County has always been the king of maple syrup production in Pennsylvania. The local Historical Society has published a book on the history of this industry, authored by Mark Ware. By the 1880s, County farmers were producing over one million pounds of maple sugar and 15,000 gallons of maple syrup each year. On Somerset County farms, the “sugar bush” was as important as other crops for farm income.

Ware explained that small batch maple syrup operations began to decline as inexpensive white refined sugar, along with lower quality syrup took over the market. In Somerset County the world wars, farm mechanization, and migration to urban areas led to fewer farm hands and smaller farms.

In 1983, the Sechler Sugar Shack began operation. The 600 acres of family farmland with over 4000 taps had not produced maple products for a decade. Today, the Sechler business averages 750 gallons of syrup and several other maple products annually. They provide high quality syrup for the Nemacolin Resort. Everett and his wife, Christine (Marasco) attend over twelve summer events and festivals where repeat customers are common. The business website attracts increased internet sales each year.

Modern technology has been a boon to production. It now takes seventy-five gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. Tubing instead of tree tap buckets and reverse osmosis machines lower the labor costs needed to bring syrup to market.

Of all the places in Pennsylvania where one might find a Pennsylvania Maple Museum, Somerset is the most fitting. In June, a Museum highlighting this cottage industry opened at the Somerset Historical Center. Narrative descriptions, exhibits and live syrup making demonstrations highlight the experience.

Honey Production.  The Costello millwork and honey businesses are located on a small farm along Route 18 in Washington County. For three generations, the Costello’s have produced wood doors and millwork for courthouses, historical buildings, and upscale homes.  About 15 years ago, the family branched out into honey production.

According to the National Honey Board, the process starts as flower nectar collected by bees, which gets broken down into simple sugars stored inside the honeycomb. The design of the honeycomb and constant fanning of the bees' wings causes evaporation, creating sweet liquid honey. Honey's color and flavor vary based on the nectar collected by the bees.

Unlike honey production in the past, a modern operation requires constant monitoring because of pests and diseases. Costello puts his woodworking skills to good use by designing and manufacturing wooden hives that work well in our area.

Costello explained to me that there are three types of honey produced by his hives. First, specialized varieties require moving hives throughout the season to capture pollen at the appropriate time. Second is multi flora wildflower honey. The apiary locations that yield these varieties require a 2-year evaluation process before the hives are moved in. Third, locally grown fields of lavender produce a high quality mono-flora honey.

The Costello business now produces 12 varieties of unpasteurized and unfiltered honey that incorporate all the health benefits of local pollens and enzymes. I was surprised to learn from Eric Costello that among their best customers are Eastern European families, who along with transplants from India and the Mid-East savor a product similar in quality to the honey from their countries of origin.

Alongside syrup and honey, many types of cottage industries are flourishing in the area. This summer is the perfect time to get out and enjoy the many available options.