3 Reasons Why It's Worth Investing in Natural Cork Stoppers
Natural cork stoppers are generally considered a more expensive alternative to other types of stoppers—such as aluminum or plastic ones—and even to other types of cork stoppers, such as micro-agglomerated and colmated cork stoppers.
However, just because they require a greater investment doesn't mean that choosing natural cork stoppers isn't worth it. There are many reasons to choose natural cork stoppers over synthetic alternatives. Let's look at some of them.
Natural cork is associated with high-quality wine
A study conducted in Italy confirmed that wine drinkers experience a greater cognitive and emotional response when smelling, tasting, and even listening to a wine sealed with a cork than to a wine sealed with a screw cap.
In fact, worldwide, cork is associated with high-quality wine, making it the preferred closure for many consumers around the world. This is particularly interesting when one considers that consumers in high-income countries are increasingly favoring higher-quality wines.
The data speaks for itself:
85% of Italian wine connoisseurs consider natural cork to be the best closure for preserving a wine's qualities.
93% of U.S. consumers associate natural cork stoppers with high-quality wine.
84% of Chinese consumers prefer to buy wines sealed with natural corks.
84% of French consumers agree that natural cork is synonymous with quality.
Eighty percent of Brazilian consumers believe that fine wines should be sealed with cork and are willing to pay more for a bottle of wine sealed with a natural cork.
86% of Spanish consumers agree that natural cork stoppers preserve the quality of wine more effectively than alternative stoppers.
Consumers are willing to pay more for wines sealed with corks
According to the same Italian study mentioned above, sealing a bottle of wine with a natural cork also increases the wine's perceived value.
Participants in the study estimated that the cost of wine sealed with a natural cork was 7.69 euros, 16% more than wine sealed with a screw cap. They were also willing to pay 7.78 euros per bottle, 1.21 euros more than for wine with a screw cap.
A study conducted in Brazil revealed that consumers are willing to pay up to 5 euros more for a bottle of wine sealed with a natural cork.
Natural cork is the most sustainable option
Consumer demand for sustainable packaging is on the rise. Consumers are 57% less likely to purchase a product if they believe its packaging is harmful to the environment, and 44% of consumers say they “will not buy” products with packaging that is harmful to the environment.
In fact, the value placed on environmentally friendly production is increasing across all business segments, especially among new consumers, and natural cork outperforms the competition in this regard as well.
Cork oaks are natural CO2 sinks, and cork harvesting actually contributes to this: a debarked cork oak absorbs, on average, five times more CO2 during its regeneration than a normal cork oak. In addition, these trees prevent soil degradation, regulate the water cycle, combat desertification, and contribute to biodiversity. Cork is a natural, renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable material.
Compared to aluminum and plastic caps, the production of cork caps uses 75% less non-renewable energy, produces 25 times fewer greenhouse gases, and generates half as much solid waste.
In conclusion
Although natural cork stoppers—especially those of higher cosmetic quality—represent a more significant investment than their more heavily processed counterparts, the return on investment is well worth it. Not only because of the price consumers are willing to pay, but also because of the effect it has on the perceived quality of the product.