About us

The Group Lafitte

70 years of precision, consistency, and reliability, rooted in our heritage

Lafitte . has a long and successful history with the cork industry.

It all began more than a century ago, in 1918, when the Lafitte family opened its first cork stopper manufacturing plant in southwestern France, a region teeming with sumptuous, lush vineyards and wine-growing areas.

350.000.000

Corks produced annually

1.800.000.000

Capsules produced annually

11

Production units

+6000

Customers worldwide

Our history.

1918: Where it all began.

Lafitte 's first cork stopper production facility was established in Toulouse, in southwestern France. Later, that same facility also housed "Coliege Metalco Emballages," a capsule factory, marking the beginning of Lafitte's long expansion, which continues to this day.
1956: The Montado of Portugal.

Driven by an ever-present desire to evolve, Lafitte has established a production facility in Portugal—home to the Montado and the world’s largest exporter of cork. This has enabled Lafitte to more effectively control the noble raw material used in its corks: Portuguese cork.
1982: (Re)born in the USA.

To meet the needs of the North American market, Jacques and Jean-François Lafitte crossed the ocean and opened “Lafitte , Cork and Capsules” in the renowned wine region of Napa Valley, California.
2001: Heading south.

Later, with the goal of supplying the South American market, Jean-François Lafitte established a new distribution facility in Santiago, thus founding Lafitte Chile.
2009: Leading the way.

Initially focused solely on cork stoppers, Lafitte Chile listened to its customers' needs and began producing capsules. Over the years, its growth has made it the market leader in capsules in South America.
2012: Technically speaking.

In Portugal, Jean-François Lafitte and François-Marie Lafitte invested in the production of micro-agglomerated cork stoppers using a molding process. Although we entered the agglomerated cork market a little late, our passion and innovation enabled us to quickly compete with the strongest competitors in the market.
2016: Everything for perfection.

Our commitment to preserving wine in optimal condition led to the creation of PerfectGO: a system that allows for the individual analysis of undetectable levels of trichloro TCA e (TCA) in cork stoppers.
2020: Ready to celebrate.

In 2020, Lafitte acquired Mundial Cork, a brand specializing in sparkling wine corks with many years of experience. With the addition of Mundial Cork, Lafitte also gained the company’s in-depth expertise regarding the product and how to make it stand out.
Five generations, and counting.

Five generations have passed, and the Lafitte family continues to serve the wine industry by producing cork stoppers of unparalleled quality. We intend to continue evolving through research, innovation, and the vertical integration of our production process.

High-quality cork stoppers.

Lafitte Group works in continuous synergy to optimize research and development processes and improve its industrial know-how in order to offer ever-better services and products.

This is reflected in the countless technological advances made over the years to ensure that our customers receive high-quality cork stoppers that are free of TCA and unwanted odors, without sacrificing the benefits of a classic cork stopper.

Just like a fine wine, the history of the Lafitte Group gets better with time. As the guardians of a family-run business venture, we continue to evolve, pushing the boundaries of quality and innovation.

We combine the impeccable qualities of natural cork with innovative production methods to create products that meet the highest standards of quality and demand. The physical properties of natural cork make it a unique partner in the aging and evolution of wine. These same properties reduce the risk of oxidation, while respecting the aromatic identity of the wine.

As a pioneer in the wine closure industry, the Lafitte Group places research and development of innovative solutions at the heart of its business. This innovation is achieved through our ongoing efforts to harness the best that cork has to offer. The PerfectGO, a major innovation developed by the group, analyzes and selects neutral cork to ensure a perfect tasting experience.

“

Discreet guardian of wine, craftsman in the shadows, the cork stopper must fulfill its mission flawlessly.

—

Jean-François Lafitte

's values from Lafitte.

Mission

Adding value to cork, a natural product of excellence, ensuring quality and exceeding expectations in a sustainable, competitive, and innovative way.

Vision

Lafitte ’s goal for the coming decade is to be:
- A preferred partner in the world’s leading wine markets;
- A leader in the quality of the products (corks) supplied to all markets.

We are committed to honoring and protecting nature.

Learn more

Service with dedication.

Always committed to our customers and their success, we strive to be global leaders in the wine industry. Drawing on extensive experience in the production of corks and capsules, the Lafitte Group continues to raise the bar for wine and spirits packaging. We owe our success, above all, to thousands of strong relationships—based on mutual trust—that we have built with each of our customers around the world. The Lafitte Group positions itself as a partner in their success and remains committed to supporting their ambitions.

Today, we bring together the best international expertise in both of our product categories: the production of cork stoppers and the printing and molding of capsules for wine, spirits, olive oil, and vinegar. The Lafitte Group manufactures a wide range of products and solutions for its customers and takes pride in maintaining the same level of precision and quality throughout the design and manufacturing processes.

Lafitte x Cork World Cup.

When Lafitte acquired Mundial Cork, it inherited the company’s extensive knowledge and experience in the manufacture of sparkling wine corks.

Every year, Lafitte Cork Spain produces more than 150 million sparkling wine corks using cork granules resulting from the production of natural cork stoppers, thereby contributing to a circular economy.