Mobile sugar shack brings sweet tradition to northern Ontario students for over 35 years

Faith Greco · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 1:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

For implicit 35 years, Denis Vien has shared the saccharine contented of maple syrup with schools crossed northeastern Ontario done his business, Le Bec Sucré oregon "Sweet Tooth."

The Timmins entrepreneur drives his mobile trailer to marque syrup on-site, transforming schoolyards into makeshift sweetener shacks, wherever the item for the kids is definitely hot syrup poured implicit caller snowfall and twirled into taffy on a woody stick.

Vien launched his maple syrup concern aft the La Ronde Cultural Center asked him to make a sweetener shack acquisition for their wintertime carnival. Drawing connected his family's expertise successful maple syrup accumulation successful Québec, helium agreed to springiness it a try. 

"The concern started from there. After that, the schools started to telephone me," Vien said. 

What began arsenic a one-time lawsuit rapidly expanded. Schools crossed the portion started reaching out, anxious to bring the acquisition to their students.

A precocious instauration to a Canadian tradition

Vien didn't turn up with maple syrup. Born successful British Columbia, helium moved to Timmins arsenic a kid but didn't sensation maple syrup until helium was successful his 30s.

"I noticed that if I started astatine 30 years aged eating maple syrup, it would beryllium bully to amusement the kids contiguous wherever this merchandise is truly coming from," helium said.

His schoolhouse visits became a hands-on learning experience, teaching kids astir the tools utilized successful sweetener bushes, the perfect temperatures for sap collection, and the process of boiling syrup.

Vien's setup evolved implicit the years. At first, helium worked from a tent, overmuch similar an crystal sportfishing shelter, boiling syrup implicit burners. Eventually, helium upgraded to a Boler trailer that has go a acquainted show for students crossed Timmins, Cochrane, Chapleau, Foleyet, and different bluish Ontario communities.

"They're each blessed to spot me," helium said. "They cognize my small Boler."

Looking for the close successor

Vien has spent astir 4 decades visiting schools, but he's preparing for retirement, turning 80 this year.

"I deliberation aft 36 years of it, sometimes freezing my fingers… I thought it would beryllium a bully ending erstwhile I'm 80 years old."

Until then, Vien volition proceed rolling into schools crossed bluish Ontario, ensuring that different procreation of kids gets to acquisition 1 of Canada's sweetest traditions.

"Seeing their faces, tasting the large maple syrup connected snow, it conscionable brings maine happiness," Vien said.