Travel down Old Historic Route 66 in the southwestern part of McLean County, just 15 miles southwest of Bloomington, and you will arrive in the unincorporated community of Funks Grove, which is known for its scenic acres of large trees and lush undergrowth and is the home of Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup. Stop in the store, and you may very well run into Jeff Hake, who married into the family that has been running the shop and sirup farm for more than 130 years.

“Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup is a family farm on about 400 acres of old-growth hardwood forests in Central Illinois that has been making maple sirup since 1891,” stated Jeff. “It’s been in the family that entire time.

“What makes this farm so special is that we are the largest, oldest, and one of the only maple sirup farms in the entire state,” Jeff continued. “We’re responsible for making almost half of the state’s entire production of maple sirup.”

Why is sirup spelled the way it is in the name of this business? Keeping the “i” in sirup is very important to the Funk family. The difference between “syrup” and “sirup” hinges on a historical mark of purity. Although “syrup” is the modern, and universally accepted spelling of the word, “sirup” is an elegant, older version which is still used, particularly for pure maple products. Often “sirup” is defined specifically as sugar boiled from pure sap, indicating nothing had been added. This was a tradition that started with Hazel Funk Holmes, a niece of the company’s founder and proprietor of the operation from the 1920s to late 1940s, who wanted to make sure the spelling in the company name never changed.

“It’s very unusual to find maple sirup produced here in the state, or really even this far south in the United States,” explained Jeff. “People associate it with Canada. They associate it with Vermont. You’re driving through Illinois and you see corn, you see soybeans, and then all of a sudden you hit a beautiful forest, and you’ll find us here, nestled in Funks Grove.”

A sweet business is born

This time-tested operation has been a staple in this community for multiple generations, built on a philosophy of respecting the land and the trees that define it.

“When the Funk and Stubblefield families moved here, first in the 1820s, they found that there was a grove of old maple trees here. It was pretty unusual for the area,” explained Jeff, describing how the business began. “Rather than cut all those trees down like folks often did when they settled this part of the country, they decided to keep it and see what value they can get out of it.”

In 1891, Arthur Funk established the commercial business that is now Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup. Arthur’s new venture would become the foundation for a business, still selling maple sirup today.

“They learned how to make maple sirup from the native people that lived here,” explained Jeff. “They decided to carry on that tradition. They’ve been doing it ever since.”

For Jeff, marrying into this legacy meant joining a family business with roots that are symbolically deeper than most trees in the grove itself.

“My wife’s family has been making maple sirup for a really long time, for six generations,” said Jeff with a smile. “She (Katie) is the sixth generation. We actually met because she and her brother (Jonathan) were working on starting another farm.”

That meeting would prove to be more than just a personal connection. It became the perfect union to introduce agricultural innovation and new products to this family business.

“They wanted to have a separate farm, growing goods which would be complementary to the maple sirup business, and that would work well in the retail establishment we already had in Funks Grove,” explained Jeff. “So, now we also grow grains and fruits. That means that we can make our pancake mixes, muffin mixes, and cookie mixes for customers to enjoy,” explained Jeff about Funks Grove Heritage Fruits & Grain, which uses the commercial kitchen and sirup from Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup to develop their dynamic product line, which is sold at the sirup shop and a number of stores and farms in central Illinois.

A sirup science

The scale of the operation at Funks Grove is both impressive and humbling. The work demands precision, patience, and respect for the narrow window that defines each season.

“We tap about 4000 trees over about 400 acres. 50 gallons of sap ultimately becomes a one gallon of sirup,” shared Jeff. “So in a good year, we might end up collecting about 100,000 gallons of sap. That’ll give us about 2000 gallons of sirup.”

Those numbers only tell a sliver of the story. What they represent is weeks of careful attention to temperature, timing, and the Illinois weather.

“It’s a really precious commodity, and there’s a super narrow window that we have to hit to get it right every year,” noted Jeff.

Where Route 66 meets tradition

The location of Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup is historic in its own right, positioned along one of America’s most legendary highways.

“Our shop is also unique, because it’s right on historic Route 66,” said Jeff with a proud smile. “People come to our pure maple sirup shop from literally all over the world. Obviously, we’re a hit with locals. We’re about the only place you can find maple sirup in the entire area.”

What started as a modest, front-porch operation has evolved into something far more substantial, though the spirit remains unchanged.
“The shop has become a place where you can find a lot of unique products to our area,” said Jeff. “It’s really fun to go back a little ways and talk to my wife and her family about how it used to be, just selling maple sirup off the front porch of the house. There’s a lot of really cool stuff that we pack into our tiny little shop.”

The store’s appeal spans generations of customers, who remember this place like it was only yesterday.

“We have folks come into the shop and they’re like, ‘I was here when I was a kid’, and they’re in their 70s, 80s,” Jeff exclaimed with excitement in his voice. They’ll say, ‘I still remember these trees here.’ We also get tourists literally from all over the world, that saw us in a guidebook and they’re here just to get a little bit of our goodness in Funks Grove.”

More than just maple

Jeff takes great pride in the fact that the Funks’ tiny retail shop offers something that online retailers and big-box stores cannot replicate.

“Having a retail establishment where people can walk in the door, they see a friendly face and they’re going to talk to them. They’re going to give them samples, explain to them how the maple sirup is made,” said Jeff. “Maybe give them a little tour of the shop. You’re not going to get that if you’re just buying the sirup from some other place. It’s just a unique experience.”

The expansion into other food products through Funks Grove Heritage Fruits & Grains has enabled the family business to offer customers much more than just sirups.

“This is our separate farm where we grow specialty wheat, corn, and a variety of fruits, which we’re turning into a whole line of products that we sell in the maple sirup shop,” stated Jeff. “We offer pancake mix, muffin mix, Johnny cake mix, cookie mix, and a line of fruit leathers including ginger pear flavor, apple pie, and black currants. We make a fruit sauce, add some maple black raspberry sauce that is just killer,” exclaimed Jeff. “And that’s all available at our maple sirup shop.”

For Jeff, the opportunity to connect consumers directly with farm-fresh products represents something special.

“People don’t necessarily understand what it’s like to take things from a farm and turn it into food that you can actually just take and eat. I know I can vouch for how good that food is and how nutritious it is, and wholesome it is,” noted Jeff. “The opportunity we have is a gift. I’m so privileged to get to do this.”

Agriculture meets business success

For any aspiring entrepreneur dreaming of building a career in agriculture or opening their own farm-based retail operation, Jeff’s advice is straightforward and earned through experience.

“When people come to me to ask about starting a career in ag (agriculture) or retail, I tell them that there’s wonderful opportunities out there. There’s also a lot of things to figure out and get right,” advised Jeff. “So often my advice is start slow. Look at what the market actually is available to you, and try to meet people where they’re at.”

Jeff believes that today, customers truly appreciate access to local and regional farms that bring food to the market.

“People love having access to their farmers and to the people that grow their food. So reward them for that,” stated Jeff. “Bring them in, show them what you’re doing, and make it worth their while to be a part of that. Make sure you have a really good product to offer them. Make sure your product is worth it and customers keep coming back.”

Tradition meets every customer

The heart of Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup seems to be rooted in the daily interactions that make the work meaningful.

“I love getting to talk to our customers about how we do what we do and why we do what we do,” said Jeff with a warm smile. “I’m so lucky that I can spend my days in Funks Grove getting to talk to customers and invite them into the shop and have them smell the good smells, taste the good tastes and leave happy and knowing that they left with a great product.

“This is a very unique way to make a living. You’re not going to find a lot of other retailers that are taking raw agricultural goods and getting them all the way from the ground, all the way into retail packaging,” explained Jeff. “It’s a lot of work. It’s an intense amount of work. We’re really proud of what we make. We know it’s wholesome goods.”