Droscha Farms began on a chance. In 1911, Rudolph and Olive Droscha packed up their family and moved by horse and buggy from Anderson, Indiana to a small farm in Mason, Michigan. The farm started out humble—a few cows, pigs and sheep, with enough crops to feed the animals and some extra to sell. 

Rudolph and Olive’s son Wilson married Dorothy Darrow in 1938, and the couple later took over operation of the farm. By 1960, Droscha Farms had grown to 220 acres and included a sizable dairy operation that was the family’s main source of income. Wilson and Dorothy’s son Dorson married Eileen Gregersen in 1961 and the new couple moved next door.

Dorson continued to expand the farm, renting nearby land to grow additional crops. Throughout the years, Dorson and Eileen had five children—Bryan, Brett, Kimberly, Kevin and Matthew. In 1980, Bryan took over the family business. Today, he and his wife Apryl run the farm, which includes a beef cattle operation and a growing hopyard along with the sugarbush.

Maple syrup has always been an integral part of the Droscha’s family life, from the children collecting buckets of sap to being the resident product taste testers. The process of making syrup is taught by doing. Parents and grandparents educate the younger generation about all things maple syrup, from how to tap a tree to firing the evaporator as adults. 

Before the construction of the sugarhouse, maple syrup production took place in the woods or the farmyard, with syrup being boiled in an open pan. After the initial boiling, the syrup was taken to the family kitchen to be finished to the correct consistency.

The Droscha family purchased their first evaporator in the spring of 1962. That year, they acquired more pails and supplies and went to the woods to tap more trees than ever before. The sap was brought to the house by tractor and wagon and, for the first of countless times, the family fired up the evaporator.

Since then, the sugarhouse has been remodeled and the evaporator has been upgraded. Although the family has purchased bigger evaporators and replaced some pails with vacuum tubing, they still boil the sap over a roaring hardwood fire. Nowadays, the sugarbush has become a family livelihood that continues to grow along with the younger generation. To many friends and relatives who stop by on brisk spring nights to lend a hand or see the show, the sugarbush will always be a cozy place full of good times and the warm aromas of wood smoke and sweet maple.