Saturday, March 17, 2012

Tricky Marketing of Maple Syrup

Glance at this bottle of maple syrup and tell me that for a second you thought it was from Vermont. Right? It says "VERTMONT" not Vermont! But seriously- doesn't that seem tricky to you?

Maybe you have to be from the North-Eastern U.S. to feel this way, but I really was fooled for a moment. Once I realized the ruse, it still did not stop me from buying this maple syrup. It is quite good. I got it at the Ekoplaza on Geldropseweg. The cost of maple syrup here in the Netherlands is about 10-20% more than the USA, but it is worth the extra cost to not worry about luggage soaked with maple syrup.

6 comments:

  1. Well, it's not really a ruse, as the maple syrup you purchased is from Canada, not Vermont USA.
    Your syrup is imported from Canada to Denmark by Cofradex APS, where it's processed and distributed to consumers like yourself.

    Cofradex aps, was established by Ronald C Vermont.

    I'm not at all certain, but I'd suspect the the "T" was added to Vertmont maple syrup, to avoid any trademark violations with maple syrup producers in Vermont USA.

    Regards,

    Jay


    http://www.vertmont.com/index-filer/page0001.htm

    http://www.organic-bio.com/en/company/5310-COFRADEX-APS

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  2. Thanks for the links and info, Jay. It does say on the bottle it is made in Canada, and Canada is all about the maple leaf... but still... it made me look twice! Interesting that Ronald Vermont is the founder of Cofradex. I think your theory is probably right, and find that even more interesting than my idea they were trying to make consumers think of Vermont, the state. But maybe they are trying to 'kill two flies with one bullet'(a Dutch saying).

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    1. Oh yes, easy to make you think twice, since Vermont is a big producer of maple syrup. I'd probably be the same if I was in your place seeing the American flag on an imported bottle of Canadian maple syrup, since I'm Canadian.

      I love the Dutch saying, "kill two flies with one bullet" I'm gonna keep that one!

      Thanks Meredith!

      Jay

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  3. I live in South Africa and this brand is the only one available here.

    I have been in Quebec two years ago, during the maple syrup season in early spring, and this province of Canada is known throughout the world for the best maple syrup producers.

    So its a good thing that this brand comes from Quebec, but indeed, the name is confusing as I thought it was a sub-product coming from New England in the USA.

    It is a pity though that they are using such a confusing name, as I don't think it helps them at all. Considering that their maple syrup comes from the best place, it isn't in their interest to make allusion to Vermont.

    It isn't because your name is Vermont that you have to use it for your product. There is so many names that could be more evocative and less confusing.

    I would also suggest them to change their ugly label, as it looks out dated and non appetizing.

    These small companies don't have marketing knowledge and don't invest in their products image. That's why they end up with bad names and poor packaging.

    Henk

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    1. Thank you for your perspective, Henk! I agree that the quality of this syrup is quite good. How interesting that it is the only one available in South Africa. Thanks for your comment!

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  4. what grade is this maple syrop?

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