Our Story
A family business established in 2011
Todd and Christi Petersen were first drawn to the Petoskey area in 1999 when their eldest child was an infant. It reminded them of their childhood locations. Todd began a residential construction company, Woods and Water Construction. Christi opted to take a break from teaching to raise a family. They are now the parents of four grown children.
In 2011, after only two years of back yard sugaring, Todd and Christi discovered their “sweet spot”, producing pure Michigan maple syrup. It was a leap of faith. God put it on their hearts to start this business in order to teach their four children hard work, cooperation, communication, resourcefulness, honesty, and integrity. After God orchestrated many miracles to make this happen, and Todd and Christi spent every last penny they had, they produced their first commercial size batch of maple syrup in the spring of 2012. Hearing about these miracles is one thing. Witnessing them is another, but putting in long days of physical labor to actually help them occur is truly a life-changing experience.
Christi, being an educator, derived the name of the business from the Native American term referring to the third moon after winter solstice, which was the time for the maple sap to flow. Thus the name Maple Moon, also referred to as the Sugar Moon.
With approximately 4,500 taps, the Petersen’s produce an average yield of 1,700 gallons of syrup. And, after four short years, they became AMERICA’S FIRST and ONLY MAPLE WINERY. Once again, God opened the doors to make this happen. Even though Todd and Christi were not wine drinkers, a friend from church was, and enjoyed making wine with the maple sap and syrup. So, when God put someone in their path that could help them transform this idea into a business, they “tapped” into this new opportunity.
While many wineries combine various ingredients to create something new, it’s much rarer to take it a step further with maple syrup. Maple Moon ferments the natural sugars found in maple syrup (no grapes involved). In 2015, five wines were readied, varying from dry to sweet. Now Maple Moon carries eleven spectacular wines. Customers rave that the wines have wonderful flavor with a smooth finish. They also boast about the top notch maple ginger hard cider, as well as a maple bourbon hard cider.
The Petersen’s now celebrate the start up of both businesses every February by partnering with Bear Cub Outfitters of Petoskey to offer a celebratory event that includes “wineshoeing,” and chili. So watch the web site, mmsyrup.com, or Facebook for this and other events such as Hotcakes for Haiti, A Tree Tapping Ceremony, Kid’s day and more.
Todd and Christi just recently added on to the production area in the fall of 2019. Every year something is added. Sometimes it goes unnoticed and other times it is obvious. By August 2025, they hope to be done with all the enhancements so Todd can retire from construction and work full time at Maple Moon.
Maple Moon carries more than syrup and wine. You may also enjoy their wide selection of products such as homemade granola, pancake mix, rubs, bbq sauce, jams and salsas, You can tap into their online product catalog and order today or call them at (231)487-9058. If you have any special requests or need help choosing a gift, please e-mail them at mmsyrup.mi@gmail.com They have gift boxes available and ship anywhere in the USA.