11 Dec Doug Southerland – The life behind the maple syrup man.
Amongst the clutter of tourists who have become the heart and soul of the Winter Festival this December, you will find 35-year-old Doug Southerland serving yet another bottle of ‘Pure Maple’ syrup with a smile. This was the second time we had met, and he was just as happy to chat as he was in mid-November. However, this time we were perched on a bench facing the Thames to chat about life as a man behind the magic that can be found upon the South Bank.
Pure Maple is originally from Bath but they celebrate their first year in London and can be found at the South Bank Winter Markets.
Whilst sipping from a coffee – Doug drinking tea, I discovered that on a regular day in the life Doug stays down in his family home in Hampshire dedicating his life to his three children, Ellie eleven, Tom nine and Joe seven. As his ambitious wife, Julie works as a manager at her father’s Italian restaurant. But for the next two months, he will be staying in the Capital for the Christmas period to act as Santa Claus for his children as he wants to make this “their best Christmas yet.”
The 35-year-old man was originally from Vancouver, but he migrated to England 14 years ago when he met his wife Julie whilst she was on a skiing holiday in his hometown. I listened in awe as Doug described meeting Julie as, “something out of a movie, I was working at the hotel she stayed at for some extra cash to fix my car up”, he laughed. Little did he know; that week he would have met his soulmate, Julie who was his match made in heaven. He then decided to pack his bags and follow her to the UK. It was evident that this man would do anything his wife as he frequently stated; “It was definitely worth the journey, I’m a happier man here in England.” This was a brave move to make I commented, but Doug quickly responded with, “life is too short to be serious, it all just clicked so I knew it was the right move to make.”
Doug sits in his living room, reading a book whilst enjoying a cup of tea relaxing from a day working at the markets.
Whilst Julie started her career in managing her father’s small business, Doug paid the bills for his one-bedroom “box apartment” by working as a full-time chef in local pubs, this lasted him quite a while until he realised that he wanted to dedicate his life to raising his children. He left his job as a chef and became a stay at home father until he stumbled upon Pure Maple – a small company from Bath who sells home-made Maple Syrup. He found the company five years ago when he took his family to Bath for a weekend away to see the festive markets and this year marks their first time here in London. This job was out of the ordinary for Southerland, but he wanted a new way to provide for his family “and to be with my wife Julie, and be the best father for my kids, they are my world you know.”
