Wabanaki Maple
Jolene Johnson, (previously Laskey), is proudly Wolastoqiyik, and a community member of Neqotkuk Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick. Jolene previously spent over half her life living in non-Indigenous communities, but for the past 25 years, she’s since reconnected and embraced her ancestral roots.
Prior to her entrepreneurial journey, she had extensive work experience (over 18 years) in the culinary field, ranging from food preparation and service to management. She also worked extensively in the agriculture industry, in tree farming management, from planting, fertilizing, and harvesting. This work has kept her grounded and in touch with her roots and will always be one of her favourite work experiences.
ln 2018, driven with purpose and passion, Jolene embarked on her new business venture, Wabanaki Maple. She launched into the maple syrup industry by developing and marketing value-added maple syrup.
She strives and is committed to giving back in a positive way with her vision to build a global brand, to help indigenous communities thrive and to help support and preserve our environment for the next 7 generations.
Maple Syrup is often known as the most Canadian product, it’s the product that we all adore on pancakes to salmon and we can easily find it in tourist shops across the country. Many of us have even had the opportunity to roll the little wooden stick on snow for the tasty treat.
We have created a twist on a traditional culture with our signature line of Barrel Aged Maple Syrup products of bourbon, whiskey and toasted oak.
Harvested, boiled, and refined with techniques dating back generations, our barrel-aged maple syrup is a taste of our land's cultural fabric.
We are 100% Indigenous female-owned and located on Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation), Wabanaki Maple is proud to introduce you to this tradition that's shared by many Peoples of the Wabanaki Confederacy; Wolastoqiyik, Mi'kmaq, Penobscot, Abenaki, and Passamaquoddy.
Discover a piece of history and a taste of our culture in every bottle.
We are committed to helping to preserve our environment and helping Indigenous communities thrive.