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    B&E’s Trees

                                                                   Viroqua, Wisc.
                                                                   bandestrees.com
                                                                   Growing with FEAST! since 2015

                                                                   Bree Breckel is a sap wrangler. Eric Weninger is an engineer
                                                                   and “fixer and maker of  all things useful.” Together, they
                                                                   are the B and E in B&E’s Trees. Along with their nearest
                                                                   and dearest friends and family, they produce organic, maple
                                                                   syrup fresh from the trees on their off-the-grid farm deep
                                                                   in the Coulee Region. But they don’t stop with making
                                                                   syrup. They also age it for a year in 53-gallon bourbon
                                                                   barrels before bottling it in sizes ranging from a 1.7oz mini
                                                                   to gallon jugs (all of  which can be purchased online). The
                                                                   result? A syrup so rich and delicious, it might not make it
                                                                   to your pancakes.
                                                                      B&E’s first attended FEAST! as the business was
                                                                   launching in 2015. The product was so new, in fact, Bree
                                                                   recalls the excitement of using self-adhesive labels—instead
                                                                   of a glue stick—on the bottles for the first time. Finding
                                                                   growth and inspiration at the marketplace, they have returned
                                                                   ever since.
                                                                      “Every year our business is different, so every year we
                                                                   have new needs and new things to learn,” says Bree when
                                                                   asked what keeps them coming back. They also enjoy
                                                                   watching people try their syrup. “[It] makes us feel great about
                                                                   what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. And when they
                                                                   come back specifically to find us, that energy and affirmation
                                                                   keeps us going.”
                                                                      B&E’s Trees has also made connections with new buyers,
                                                                   strengthened relationships with current ones, and networked
                                                                   with other producers and service providers. At the same time,
                                                                   they’ve developed community by using FEAST! as a platform
                                                                   to invite folks to their farm for things like “Rampfest” and
                                                                   their annual open house (held virtually this year).
                                                                      “Often when we are looking for a new business resource,
                                                                   we will first look at our FEAST! connections,” says Bree.
                                                                   “FEAST! has helped us gain a sense of the landscape for
                                                                   small, food-based businesses better than other events. It offers
                                                                   real connections, filters through the clutter and brings forth
                                                                   solid, useful, resources tailored for businesses like ours.”

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