About us

The Lafitte Group

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

Lafitte shares a long and fruitful history with the cork industry.

It all began over a century ago, in 1918, when the Lafitte family opened the first cork stopper manufacturing plant in southwestern France, a region full of sumptuous vineyards and wine-making 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.

The first Lafitte cork stopper production unit was established in Toulouse, in southwestern France. Later, this same unit 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.

With an ever-present desire to evolve, Lafitte set up a production unit in Portugal—home of the Montado and the world's largest exporter of cork. This allowed 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 Country: Napa Valley, California.
2001: Heading south.

Later, with the aim of supplying the South American market, Jean-François Lafitte set up a new distribution unit in Santiago, thus giving rise to 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 for 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 molding techniques. Although we entered the agglomerated cork market a little late, our passion and innovation allowed us to quickly compete with the strongest competitors in the market.
2016: Everything for perfection.

Our commitment to preserving wine in perfect condition led to the creation of PerfectGO: a system that allows for the individual analysis of undetectable levels of TCA (trichloroanisole) 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 acquired the company's in-depth know-how about 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, producing cork stoppers of unparalleled quality. We intend to continue evolving through research, innovation, and verticalization of our production process.

High-quality cork stoppers.

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

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

Like a fine wine, the history of the Lafitte Group improves with age. As guardians of a family business adventure, we continue to evolve, challenging the limits 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 continuous efforts to capture the best that cork has to offer. 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

Lafitte's values
.

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 ambition for the next decade is to be:
- A privileged partner in the world's major wine markets;
- A leader in the quality of products (corks) supplied to all markets.

We are committed to honoring and protecting nature.

Learn more

Service with dedication.

Always loyal to our customers and their success, we strive to be global leaders in the wine industry. With 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 primarily to thousands of solid relationships, based on mutual trust, built with each of our customers around the world. The Lafitte Group positions itself as a partner in your successes and remains at the service of your ambitions.

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

Lafitte vs. Mundial Cork.

When Lafitte acquired Mundial Cork, it inherited its vast 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, thus contributing to a circular economy.