Harwood Gold, Amber Parsons
Harwood Gold is a maple syrup and specialty food company that has made maple syrup by the Parsons family since 1898 on their family farm in Charlevoix. Amber Parsons took the company over from her family in 2014 when she started working with her mom at the farmers' market. Since then, she has opened a downtown store and café and expanded the product line to include over 75 maple products, which can be found in over 15 states nationwide. Her most recent expansion included partnering with seven Whole Foods locations in Michigan.
SCORE has supported my journey by being a solid sounding board and a consistent shoulder to lean on when I need extra support. Working with mentors Jeff Hamilton and David Summers has been a positive experience. They are clear and concise when working through growth problem-solving issues and help keep me focused on what matters most. Accountability is an essential factor when going down the entrepreneur path – having a team keeping you accountable is not only necessary for growth; it's paramount. Jeff and David do just that. Keep me responsible for how I'm showing up for my team, my family, and myself.
Apart from Amber's line of maple syrup products, she launched a "Harwood Home" line last year, including favorite farmhouse dishes, towels, soaps, candles, and lotions. Her latest endeavors have her busy building a new line of products called "Farmhouse Favorites," specialty foods focused on snacking favorites from the family farm. (Stay tuned for the release in spring 2024!) Lastly, she is in the early stages of creating the family farm location as an agrotourism destination and offering the community a chance to come, stay, and play there. To find out more about Harwood Gold please visit
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