The Past

The roots of Mapleaid go back to the elixirs consumed in the maple sugar woods and hay fields on hot days – drinks that have hydrated Vermont farmers for generations. A splash of maple syrup. A pinch of salt. Juiced ginger. Squeezed lemon. Fresh brewed tea. From the moment UnTapped brought maple to athletes these drinks were in our minds. From long days of sweating while installing the tubing system that collects the sap, we knew these simple ingredients contained the secret to endurance hydration fuel and we wanted to share them with you.

Our experience in the athletic world pushed us to make these drink mixes as powders. The difficulty we found was escaping industry standard processing aids and flavor enhancers: silicon dioxide, maltodextrin, citric acid and “natural flavors”. Some of these ingredients are so sneaky they can even be completely left out of an ingredient list. The tallest of tasks was sourcing a pure lemon powder without the aforementioned ingredients, in fact it was far easier said than done, but we were eventually able to find a vendor who could provide us with the pure lemon we needed. With all the dry ingredients in line we were able to bring Mapleaid, the first of its kind hydration mix to market, to rave reviews. 

Both Lemon Tea Mapleaid and Ginger Mapleaid have ingredients so simple they can be listed right on the front of the package.

Throughout it all we wondered “Why are we taking out all of the water to make a powder only to mix it with water again?” But with our attention turned to other new products and projects this question was left to linger with no answer. Little did we know this question would soon be dragged back to the front of our minds.

The Present

As inventory levels waned, we began the process of ordering the ingredients needed to produce more single-serve packets of Lemon Tea Mapleaid. Unfortunately, when we got in contact with our lemon supplier, they informed us that they are now adding silicon dioxide as an agent to aid in the mixing and reduce the cost of the powder. Because of some strange government rules, they assured us we would not have to include silicon dioxide as an ingredient in our ingredient statement. We declined to make this change to stick to our roots of ingredient purity.

Without this source of pure lemon, change had to come to the Mapleaid line regardless of what was pulling our attention in different directions. Faced with the task of finding a new powdered lemon supplier we remembered back to how we made mapleaid before it was Mapleaid. A splash of maple syrup. A pinch of salt. Juiced ginger. Squeezed lemon. Fresh brewed tea. And went back to our question, “Why are we taking out all of the water to make a powder only to mix it with water again?”

Throughout early 2021 we began experimenting with a liquid Lemon Tea Mapleaid concentrate. After countless iterations we settled on a recipe that kept the simplicity, taste and function we loved – Organic Maple Syrup, Organic Lemon Juice, Organic Black Tea and Sea Salt. Testing by the UnTapped team of staff and ambassadors (both at the office and in the wild) has shown Liquid Mapleaid to be even better than its powdered predecessor – easier to mix; better taste and the same great hydrating fuel.

The Future

For the time being 1 pound bags of Lemon Tea Mapleaid and Ginger Mapleaid, as well as single-serve packets of Ginger Mapleaid will remain in powder form. Soon you will slowly see all varieties and sizes convert to the liquid form factor. With the added flexibility of packing in-house, we will be able to more readily produce and test new varieties of Mapleaid. The environmental impact of Mapleaid will be reduced as well by switching to a liquid. It will cut out the process of turning maple syrup into maple sugar, only to be re-hydrated again. Additionally, it will reduce the shipping impact, particularly from raw materials. The reduced inputs will ultimately lead to lower cost to the consumer.

We hope this overview provides a comprehensive look at our reasons for switching from a powder to a liquid. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to hello@untapped.cc or give us a call at 802-222-0440.

Try it out for yourself. Buy the new Lemon Tea Mapleaid here.