Maple trees are so Canadian. Around the world, the maple leaf and maple syrup are seen as symbols of the country. Now, some Canadian businesses want to add another maple product to that list. It is called maple water.

Maple water is another name for sap from a maple tree. It is slowly becoming popular as a new beverage. But this growth is only beginning. This is because most people still think sap means maple syrup.

Maple syrup is sap that has been boiled for a very long time. This process thickens up the liquid. It boils off much of the water and leaves behind sugars. The result? A sticky, sweet, dark liquid that is perfect on pancakes!

But actual sap is nothing like that. It is clear, mostly water, and lightly sweet. It has just two percent sugars. Maple syrup is over 60 percent sugars. And the sap has healthy stuff, such as calcium calcium : an element that is essential to bones and teeth , manganese manganese : a mineral needed for human development , antioxidants antioxidants : a healthy nutrient that protects cells. , and electrolytes electrolytes : minerals that help to balance the human body; they are lost when we sweat .

Maple farmers have been drinking sap for years. But can it become the world’s new favourite thirst-quenching drink? Companies like Quebec’s Maple3 (started in 2013) and Ontario’s Sap Sucker (started in 2015) are betting that it can.

“People feel like they’re drinking the wild Canadian forest,” Yannick Leclerc of Maple3 told the BBC.

These companies hope that maple water can become the new coconut water. In recent years, the sales of coconut water have skyrocketed. In 2013, sales were around $400 million. Now they are over $7 billion! Coconut water became popular because people wanted a tasty natural drink that had less sugar than sodas. Maple water can fill this need, too. In fact, it has even less sugar than coconut water does!

Companies are offering maple water in different varieties to spread its appeal. Some varieties are “still,” or exactly as from the tree. Others are sparkling and have bubbles like a soda. The sparkling maple waters often also have added light fruit flavours.

Sap Sucker vice-president Ynez Giancola says maple drinks are a Canadian investment. “Maple production supports the economy,” she told Global News. “Our supply chain supply chain : the path that goods take as they move from one place to another remains entirely Canadian-based.” She says that maple water is “a nice, healthy alternative alternative : another option; choice .”

By John Crossingham
Updated March 18, 2025, 5:00 P.M. (ET)