KiKi Maple Water – Embracing Key Philosophies of Simplicity and Sustainability and Canadian Made

Founding Story

Lorraine & Keith Harris are both the passion and heart of KiKi Maple Water®. KiKi was created in 2009 to establish a simple, sustainable, and Canadian functional beverage to relieve the pressure on our ground water and to reduce the use of plastic bottles. It was Keith's goal to form a company that could produce a maple sap beverage reminiscent of the refreshing sensation he got from drinking maple sap in his youth; straight from the bucket on the tapped tree. Since its inception, the company has grown to have sales in Canada and many international jurisdictions, including Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, France, Switzerland, the United States, Spain and more – proving that Ontario-made products can flourish on the global stage.

What is Maple Water?

Maple Water is the name that the industry decided to call Maple Sap – a term for the liquid that is present in every tree and is utilized by the tree to move energy and nutrients between the roots to the leaves. With over 64 antioxidants, 80 nutrients, amino and organic acids, Maple Water beverages can restore your electrolytes.

We had the chance to speak with Keith Harris, Founder and CEO of Troll Bridge Creek – the makers of KiKi Maple Water - to get his insights on how the pandemic has changed his business, manufacturing in Ontario, and being part of local programs.

Has COVID-19 Impacted your Business?

“Absolutely. Our main target market before the pandemic started was outside of Canada. Just as we were introducing our product in Japan – that’s when COVID hit. We were supposed to visit Japan in March [2020] for a food show but that had to be cancelled. With how the Japanese culture works, they’re not going to do business with you if they can’t see you face to face. So, we had to put that on the back burner. I turned to my broker and our sales team, and we all looked at how we could pivot. This resulted in us putting a plan in place to pivot our business from exporting, to instead selling our product within Canada. The pandemic really brought to light the fragility of our food chains.”

What Does Manufacturing in Ontario Mean to You?

“From the very start of our business, we have been trying to bring jobs to people in Ontario, as well as retain our current maple sugar bushes and provide a market to entice new entrepreneurs to enter the maple business. We should not be a nation that exports raw materials only to buy them back as finished goods. Our vision is to employ Ontarians to increase the value-added component to the maple industry - Ontario has enough maple trees to produce as much maple sap as Quebec.”

How Has Being Part of Loblaw’s Local Program Been?

Through its support of the Ontario Made program, Loblaw stores across Ontario have been highlighting incredible and innovative Ontario-made food and beverage products on their shelves, including KiKi Maple Water.

“The teams at Grey Jay Sales and Loblaw’s have been phenomenal and have provided great exposure to KiKi. I attribute that a lot to the hard work that the Ontario Made program is doing. It’s obvious now, and with the messages that Ontario Made is spreading, that we should be buying more local products. Ontario makes products of the highest quality that are made by our neighbours.”