Long before gourmet foods and gifts filled the shelves at The Bramble Patch, Sheri Weix knew what it meant to make something by hand and wait for customers to recognize its value.

She grew up in northern Wisconsin in a family that has produced maple syrup since 1889, surrounded by hundreds of acres of maple woods owned by relatives. The work was intensely hands-on, and the lesson behind it stayed with her: when the sap runs, you pay attention. You do the work when it needs to be done. Details matter.

That background eventually became part of the foundation for a New Glarus business that has now been operating for more than two decades. The Bramble Patch did not begin as the Polish pottery destination many customers know today. It began as an outlet for Weix's family maple syrup, along with honey, gourmet foods and products from other small producers.

The family's Maple Hollow syrup has won first place internationally four times, Weix said. And although syrup is made in spring, she laughs at how naturally customers connect it with cooler weather, pancakes and French toast. For Weix, the product is also a reminder of where her approach to business started.