Meet Kevin Milligan | Business owner and maple syrup farmer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin Milligan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Producing a high quality and consistent product with an emphasis on branding. When we first started out our logo and branding did not match the quality of our product. Investing in a rebrand was key to making our syrup attractive to a national audience.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started the business back in 2015 at the suggestion of my parents, my mom in particular. They were tired of hearing me complain about my career in accounting. I knew I was going to pivot to something else down the road, but I didn’t think I would be doing it only 4 years into my professional career. Accounting was not a good fit for me, I am not the most detailed oriented person and I have a hard time focusing for long periods of time. When I first started the business I didn’t know where things would take me, I had originally envisioned it as a side business. I continued working a full time accounting job for my Dad’s architecture firm, but my mind was always on building my maple syrup business. It was very difficult starting out, most syrup companies have been in their families for generations. I didn’t know anything about the production process, and had never done any sales in my career. I am a bit of a headcase and at first was very nervous and anxious when it came to making sales. As time went on I have become more and more comfortable with selling and it is now my favorite aspect of the job. I had a difficult time letting go of even menial tasks (ie putting labels on bottles) but overtime I realized that if we were going to grow I needed to hire staff and delegate. The number of hours I worked for the first few years wasn’t sustainable, I would’ve been burnt out by now if I hadn’t learned to delegate.

I am most proud that our syrup has been recognized with national recognition, the Food Network has featured both of our syrups several times. Our bourbon barrel aged maple syrup made it on to Good Morning America thanks to my friends at Katalinas Cafe. It was only for 2 seconds but I’m going to hang on to the 2 seconds of fame for as long as we can. What sets us apart from the competition is our emphasis on sustainability, philanthropy to the culinary community, and giving back to our customers with product, Milligan’s Maple apparel, and tickets to local sporting events.

I learned that developing and maintaining relationships with successful individuals in my industry is key. Working with certain businesses gives credibility to my brand, and often time when a Chef leaves for a new company they contact me to be their pure maple syrup farm partner. There is also something to improve on, there will never be a point where everything is done perfectly. Recognizing the areas for growth and improvement along with implementing successful changes is critical .

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Worthington Hills just outside of Columbus. If a friend were visiting I would be sure to take them to several of the excellent craft Breweries (Wolfs Ridge, Jackie O’s) in the area. I would also take them to dine at some of my favorite brunch spots, like Kitchen Social, Skillet, Katalinas, and The Pearl. I am an avid golfer and most of my friends play as well so I would take them to some of the excellent area golf courses (Golf Club of Dublin, Pinehill, Worthington Hills Country Club). The concert venues in the city are all very unique, I would hope we could attend a concert at The Newport or The Bluestone (ideally my favorite musician TECH N9NE). Finally, I would hope there is a home football or basketball game for Ohio State so we could attend a game. There’s nothing like a Buckeye football Saturday, it’s what I look forward to the most.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In the early stages of our business we didn’t really know what we were doing selling to restaurants and food service companies. Our branding was weak, and the sales process was totally new to me. Earl Henderson of Sunny Street Cafe Upper Arlington indirectly took me under his wing to show me the ropes of selling to restaurants. He believed in our product and in me. Earl became one of my biggest supporters and eventually put things in motion for me to sell to 7 additional Sunny Street Cafe locations in the Columbus area. That increase in sales volume helped propel us for success with being able to properly invest in branding, the ability to be picky when targeting partnerships, and hiring part time employees. We are forever grateful to Earl, and he dismisses the notion that he did much but wanted me to pay it forward one day with another young entrepreneur.

Website: www.milligansmaple.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/milligansmaple

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/milligan-s-maple-syrup/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/milligansmaple

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@milligansmaple