About
The Lafitte Cork Group
Lafitte shares a long and fruitful
history with the cork industry.
It all started over a century ago, in 1918, when the Lafitte family opened the first cork stopper manufacturing unit in the southwest of France, a region filled with rich vineyards and winemaking areas.
350.000.000
Corks produced every year
1.800.000.000
Capsules produced every year
11
Production facilities
+6000
Clients worldwide
Our history.
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![The first Lafitte cork stopper manufacturing facility, in the southwest of France, in Toulouse]()
1918: Where it all begins.
The first Lafitte cork stopper manufacturing facility is born in the southwest of France, in Toulouse. After 1918, this same unit housed Coliege Metalco Emballages, a capsule factory, beginning Lafitte’s long expansion that, to this day, is yet to cease.
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![An aerial photograph of the cork oak forests in Alentejo]()
1956: Portugal’s Montado.
With an omnipresent desire to evolve, Lafitte set up a manufacturing unit in Portugal: home of the Montado and the world's largest cork exporter. This allowed Lafitte to more efficiently control the noble raw material used in its stoppers: Portuguese cork.
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![The facilities of Lafitte Cork and Capsule in Napa, California]()
1982: (Re)born in the USA.
In order to respond to the needs of the North American market, Jacques and Jean François Lafitte crossed the ocean and inaugurated Lafitte Cork and Capsules in the illustrious Wine Country: Napa, California.
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![The facilities of Lafitte Cork Chile]()
2001: Moving South.
Later, so as to supply the South American market, a new distribution facility was installed by Jean François Lafitte in Santiago, thus creating Lafitte Chile.
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![An example of the capsules sold by Lafitte Chile]()
2009: Leading the way.
Initially focused only on cork stoppers, Lafitte Chile listened to its customers’ demands and began producing capsules. Over the years, it has grown to become the leader of the capsule market in South America.
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![An individual moulding machine, used in the production of microagglomerated cork stoppers]()
2012: Getting technical.
Jean François Lafitte and François-Marie Lafitte invested in the production of molded micro agglomerated corks in Portugal. Despite getting into the agglomerated game a bit late, our passion and innovation allowed us to quickly compete with the strongest players in the market.
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![A set of five natural cork stoppers, treated with PerfectGO]()
2016: It's all about perfection.
Our commitment to flawlessly preserve wine led to the creation of PerfectGO: a system for the individual analysis of non-detectable TCA levels in cork stoppers.
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![A cork stopper meant for sparkling wine]()
2020: Joining the sparkling party.
In 2020, Lafitte acquired Mundial Cork, a brand specialized in sparkling wine corks with vast years of experience. With the addition of Mundial Cork, Lafitte also acquired the company’s deep know-how of the product and how to make it excel.
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![Set of natural cork stoppers in the foreground with blurred, sorted cork stoppers in the background]()
Five generations, and counting.
Five generations later, the Lafitte family continues to serve the wine industry through the creation of cork stoppers of unrivalled quality. We intend to keep evolving through research, innovation and the verticalization of our production process.
Quality cork stoppers.
The Lafitte Group works in uninterrupted synergy to optimize research and development processes and improve industrial know-how in order to offer increasingly better services and products.
This is shown by the numerous technological advances made over the years to ensure our clients receive quality cork stoppers, free of TCA and unwanted aromas, but, nevertheless, filled with all the benefits of a classic cork stopper.
Like a good wine, the history of Lafitte Group improves over time. As stewards of an entrepreneurial family adventure, we continue to evolve by pushing the boundaries of quality and innovation.
We combine the impeccable qualities of natural cork with innovative production methods, to create products of exceptional quality and exacting standards. 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 of the wine closure industry, Lafitte Group places research and development of innovative solutions at the heart of our business. We accomplish this through ongoing efforts to capture the best of what cork has to offer. PerfectGO, a major innovation developed by the group, analyzes and selects neutral cork to ensure a perfect tasting experience.
“
As the Discreet Guardian of Wine, the cork should fulfill its mission without fail.
—
Jean-François Lafitte
Lafitte’s
values.
Mission
Adding value to cork, a natural product of excellence, guaranteeing quality and exceeding expectations in a sustainable, competitive and innovative way.
Vision
For the next decade, Lafitte aims to be: a privileged partner in the main world wine markets; leader in the quality of products supplied to all markets.
We are committed to honoring and protecting nature.
Dedicated service.
Ever faithful to our customers and their success, we strive to be the global leader of the wine industry. Blending true expertise in cork and capsule production, Lafitte Group continues to raise the bar for wine and spirits packaging. In essence we owe our success to thousands of strong relationships built on trust with each of our clients spanning the globe. Lafitte Group is positioned as the partner of their success, and we remain in the service of their ambitions.
Today, we bring together the best international expertise in our two product categories: the production of cork closures and the printing and forming of capsules for wine, spirits, olive oil and vinegar. Lafitte Group manufactures a wide range of products and solutions for our customers and we pride ourselves on meeting the same level of precision and quality throughout the design and manufacturing process.
Mundial Cork x Lafitte Cork.
When Lafitte acquired Mundial Cork, it inherited its vast knowledge and experience in the manufacture of sparkling wine stoppers.
Every year, Lafitte Cork Spain produces more than 150 million sparkling wine stoppers using cork granulate from the production of natural cork stoppers, thus contributing to a circular economy.
Lafitte Bartop.
The most recent acquisition of the Lafitte Group was the company RCP International SA, which specialized in the manufacture of capsulated stoppers, giving rise to Lafitte Bartop.
Lafitte Bartop is a premium range of bar-top closures, aimed at luxury spirits, oils, and vinegar.
