In this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw, host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Chad Jakeman, Chief Executive Officer of Jakeman’s Maple Syrup Products, to explore how one of Canada’s most iconic food products is being scaled for modern retail—without losing its heritage.

Jakeman’s is a 150-year-old, family-owned Ontario business that now funnels more than half of the province’s maple syrup through its operation. Chad shares the remarkable evolution of the company, from his ancestors selling syrup roadside in rural Ontario to becoming a nationally recognized grocery brand found on shelves across Canada. The discussion offers a masterclass in how heritage brands can modernize while remaining deeply authentic.

The episode also dives into the realities of producing a climate-dependent product. Chad outlines how inconsistent winters, shifting freeze-thaw cycles, and regional weather differences across Ontario directly impact maple syrup yields. He explains the role of strategic maple syrup reserves in Quebec and why supply management is critical to ensuring industry stability during poor harvest years.

From a production standpoint, listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at the science of consistency. Chad describes how Jakeman’s blends traditional maple-making methods with modern processes—using filtration, charcoal, spectrometers, and precise density controls—to ensure every bottle delivers the same taste, colour, and quality.

Innovation and brand storytelling are recurring themes. Chad discusses the importance of a bold 2019 rebrand to stand out on crowded grocery shelves, how tourism and retailer feedback influence product extensions like maple cookies and maple cotton candy, and why authenticity consistently outperforms flashy marketing for growing Canadian food brands.

The conversation concludes with a forward-looking discussion on growth, including Western Canadian expansion, increased European exports, and the importance of diversification. Chad’s reflections on risk, resilience, and loving the work provide valuable insights for food entrepreneurs, retailers, and brand builders alike.

About Your Host, Michael LeBlanc

Michael is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.

Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently in Toronto, Austin, Texas & Savannah, Georgia. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.

Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award winning, top independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced Apple podcast management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has named him one of their top 50 Retail Voices for 2025 and 2026, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer.

If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.