Maple Valley Cooperative
Steve Young-Burns is an experienced sales director with a strong background in the food and beverage industry. Currently serving as the Sales Director at Maple Valley Cooperative since May 2023, Steve is dedicated to producing and marketing organic maple syrup products sustainably. Previously, Steve was the Wholesale Manager at The Good Acre, where innovative programs supported the Twin Cities food system. Notable roles include Director of Sales at Peace Coffee, Sales Director and Managing Partner at Open Gates Group, and CEO at PastureLand Cooperative, showcasing a trajectory of increasing leadership responsibilities. Steve's career began at Blooming Prairie Natural Foods and has included management positions in sales across various companies, supported by degrees in American Studies and Technical Communication from St. Olaf College and Metro State University, respectively.
This person is not in any teams
Maple Valley Cooperative
Maple Valley was founded almost 30 years ago and today it is a thriving cooperative with a conscience owned by farmers, employees, customers, vendors, and investors with a common vision for a healthy world where nature is protected, people cooperate for the good of all and communities are strong. Our 30 farmer members in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, NewYork and Vermont have small family farms, most of which are multi-generational and many that span for several generations where they’ve passed along the craft of maple sugaring from one generation to the next. We carefully consider the farmers who join the cooperative. They must be sustainable farming stewards and ensure that their maple woodland understory stays intact to provide habitat for abundant and diverse wildlife and to prevent soil erosion. They minimally tap their maple trees so they stay healthy and may produce for up to 200 years. That’s a lot of carbon sequestration for the good of the planet and the people! And, in return for their dedication to quality and stewardship, the co-op offers the farmers a sustainable living wage. In addition to our commitment to on-farm sustainable stewardship, we are also committed to overall business sustainability. The energy we use at our main office and bottling facility, located in the rural town of Cashton in southwest Wisconsin, is offset through a partnership with the community wind project. Maple Valley products are packaged in both glass and BPA-free, recyclable plastic. And, for us, community stewardship means customer partnerships and sourcing supplies and services locally whenever possible to support small, independent business owners. Maple Valley is committed to producing delicious, small-batch, high-quality certified organic, vegan, kosher, and allergen and gluten-free maple products. Our small team of a dozen passionate, cooperative-minded and fun people believe in embracing the sweetness each day brings and making the most of it!