February 17, 2026
Hopewell Taps Butternut Maple Farm for Sugaring Collaboration
A chance meeting at Leadership Geauga’s class of 2026 between Chief Executive Officer Colleen Welder and Renee Delafranconi, co-owner with her husband Pierre of Butternut Maple Farm in Burton, led to a sweet collaboration.
Renee and Pierre visited Hopewell to take a tour and learn about our sugaring operation. “We were so impressed with Hopewell; we were talking about you for weeks!” Renee said. Pierre is now providing expertise to Hopewell staff in our sugaring “rebuilding year” that will improve processes and make them more efficient.
Hopewell runs a sugar house, built in 2016 with generous donor support, and harvests sap from our 750-maple tree sugarbush. Each year staff and residents spend a day in the woods, tapping trees for sap and processing maple syrup the farm uses year-round. Residents love the opportunity to connect with nature and work hard. Maple syrup, maple candy, maple sugar, maple cream. . . what reward could be sweeter, especially since it is Hopewell-made!