CANTON, N.Y. -- Joshua Parker was just 11 years old when he got his first taste of the maple business.
"I went on a school field trip to learn how maple syrup was made. The next year, I made a little more, made a little bit more," said Parker. "Then, when I was 15, I decided I wanted to take that leap and turn my passion into a real business."
Fast-forward to today and the 18-year-old has Parker's Real Maple in Canton, which sells maple products online and in hundreds of stores across the U.S.
"The whole mission of the company is to take real maple and turn it into everyday products," said Parker.
Products like maple cotton candy, maple butter and, of course, syrup. However, Joshua wanted to do more with his company, and last Friday, people across the country saw him doing just that when he appeared on ABC's Shark Tank.
"I don't think in the history of the industry has anyone been able to organically get real maple in front of so many people and that's what we've been able to do," he said. "It's really exciting for us. It's really exciting for the industry."
Although his products got rave reviews from the sharks, no one invested in him. However, Joshua says he did not leave the room with nothing.
"I walked out of there with sharks telling me how to make my product more successful. What to push and what to do," said Parker.
Looking into the future, Joshua hopes to see Parker's Real Maple grow even more and even see see his products sold in big name stores.
"In the next couple of months, we'll be launching into a limited amount of Costcos and we're growing," said Parker. "We're going to get to more retailers and we're rolling out this new brand that we just launched."
Joshua says he hopes he is able to set himself apart from other maple companies and that his experience on the show only shapes a sweet future for his business.
He is also hoping to one day sell his products in other large retailers, like Whole Foods and Wegmans.