3 Reasons Why Natural Cork Stoppers Are Worth the Investment
Natural cork stoppers are often seen as a more expensive alternative to other closures—such as aluminum or plastic stoppers—and even other types of cork closures, such as micro-agglomerated cork and sealed cork stoppers.
However, just because they represent a larger 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 a few of them.
Natural cork is associated with high-quality wine
A study conducted in Italy confirmed that wine consumers experience a more significant cognitive and emotional response to the smell, taste, and even the sound of a wine sealed with a cork than to a wine sealed with alternative closures.
Globally, cork is associated with high-quality wine, making it the preferred closure for many consumers around the world. This is particularly noteworthy when one considers that consumers in high-income countries are increasingly opting for premium wines.
The data speaks for itself:
93% of U.S. consumers associate natural cork with high-quality wines
85% of Italian wine enthusiasts consider natural cork to be the best sealant for ensuring wine quality
84% of Chinese consumers prefer to buy wines sealed with a natural cork
85% of French consumers agree that natural cork is synonymous with quality
80% of Brazilian consumers believe that fine wines should be sealed with corks, and are willing to pay more for a bottle of wine sealed with a cork.
86% of Spanish consumers agree that a natural cork preserves the quality of wine more effectively than alternative closures
Consumers are willing to pay more for wines sealed with corks
According to the same Italian study mentioned earlier, sealing a bottle of wine with a natural cork also increases the perceived value of the wine.
Survey participants estimated that the cost of wine sealed with a natural cork would be 7.69 euros—a 16% increase compared to 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 has been on the rise. Consumers are 57% less likely to buy a product when they consider the packaging to be harmful to the environment, with 44% of consumers stating that they “do not buy” products in packaging that is harmful to the environment.
In fact, the value placed on environmentally friendly production is increasing across all business sectors, especially among new consumers —and natural cork outperforms the competition in this regard as well.
Cork oak trees are natural CO2 sinks, and cork harvesting actually contributes to this: a cork-harvested cork oak tree absorbs, on average, five times more CO2 during its regeneration than a normal cork oak tree. In addition, these trees prevent soil degradation, regulate the water cycle, combat desertification, and contribute to biodiversity. Cork is a natural material that is renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable.
Compared to aluminum and plastic corks, the production of cork stoppers uses 75% less non-renewable energy, produces 25 times fewer greenhouse gases, and generates half as much solid waste.
Conclusion
While natural cork stoppers—especially those of superior cosmetic quality—represent a more significant investment than their more heavily processed counterparts, the ROI (return on investment) makes it worth the investment. This is true 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.