Meet the Makers Behind Laurel & Ash

By Lambeth Hochwald
Photographs by Rana Faure

For the past decade, Ashley Ruprecht and Jeffrey Schad have been hard at work creating a high-end maple syrup brand, all on their own, tapping the glorious sugar and red maple trees dotting their 50-acre property in Holmes, New York. This husband-and-wife team is also the kind of married couple who finish each other’s sentences—and respect each other’s skills.“Jeffrey does a lot of the farm operations and is able to fix things, while I handle social media and sales,” says Ruprecht, who worked as a model, advertising and marketing executive, and founder of her own millinery brand, before pivoting into maple syrup production. One place where their roles always overlap: the creative vision for the company—and the joy of raising their six-year-old son, who delights in sugaring season. “We’re always collaborating on the products, what works and what doesn’t,” says Schad, a former photographer and creative director. “We concentrate on the creative nucleus of the company and are focused on making the highest quality stuff we can.” The couple’s Grade A maple syrup, tapped, wood-fired, wax-sealed, and bottled in hand numbered glass bottles featuring black and gold labels, even captured Oprah’s attention in 2022, when she declared the brand’s bestselling amber syrup, presented in a wooden gift box, one of her “favorite things.”

So how did two creatives, who were once living in Brooklyn, become syrup makers? Fact is, the couple weren’t planning to make maple syrup when they purchased this property, formerly a cattle farm, in 2015. “We thought this would be a weekend home, or we’d start farming once we retired,” Ruprecht says, adding that when they moved to the farm full-time in 2016, they were mostly making soap and growing vegetables. “We started making maple syrup for fun, with buckets hanging from the trees along our driveway, and soon realized we wanted to focus on creating the best maple products possible.” A year later, they were all in, and decided to turn the project into a commercial operation. Since then, they’ve expanded their facilities and flavors, including a spicy maple syrup using peppers grown in the region, adding an heirloom-grade pancake mix and a line of maple and apple cider vinegars. “The vinegars we’ve been making have been an extremely surprising product for us, a bestseller, especially in the summer and during the holidays,” Ruprecht says. Hearing from repeat customers has been greatly satisfying, Schad says. “It’s been incredible how many people tell us they will only buy our syrup or vinegar,” he says. “It’s so endearing to make something from your land and two hands, and have someone appreciate it so much,” he says. “It’s the ultimate reward.” Ultimately, Ruprecht says she feels lucky that she and Schad have become “accidental farmers” and that they’re able to make a product that doesn’t harm the property or upset the land. “We love that this is a way of farming that’s holistic,” she says. “Everything was here. We just had to tap into it.”—laurelandash.farm