Our ethos
Sorghum syrup
At Empire Syrups, we are returning sweet sorghum to New York State and developing eco-friendly processes to improve sustainability. Regional production of food and food ingredients is important because it reduces the cost of transportation. The impact of transportation by most means is often overlooked and it is environmentally more responsible to produce food as close to the consumer as possible. Local production also takes advantage of the terroir that imparts the local agronomy and overall environment in the unique taste of our sorghum syrup. We are combining state-of-the-art genetics with old-school harvesting and new-age processing to create a unique product.
Using sorghum syrup
Our traditional sorghum syrup, Empire Syrups original offers a classic sorghum experience, with sweet molasses undertones and prominent grassy notes. It adds warmth and complexity to sauces, baked goods, and even cocktails. Our customer base also includes NYS distillers and we hope to have a line of products using our sorghum syrup.
Our process
We use a combination of old and new techniques to grow and process our sorghum into syrup. Underlying our process is the aim of creating a closed loop using a combination of no-till and also regenerative use of the spent stalks. Eventually we hope to use the spent stalks to fire the evaporator and use the remains to create biochar. A lot of aspirations that will be driven by creating a commercially viable product. To achieve that we need to make a great local sorghum syrup