3 Reasons Why Natural Cork Stoppers are Worth the Investment
Natural cork stoppers are often viewed as a pricier alternative to other closures - such as aluminum or plastic stoppers - and even other cork closures, like microagglomerate and colmated cork stoppers.
However, the fact that it represents a bigger investment doesn’t mean choosing natural cork stoppers doesn’t pay off. There are plenty of reasons to pick natural cork stoppers in detriment to 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 higher cognitive and emotional response to smelling, tasting, and even listening to a wine sealed with a cork stopper than they do with a wine sealed with a screw cap.
In fact, on a global level, cork is associated with high-quality wine, which makes it the preferred sealant for many consumers all around the world. This becomes especially interesting when you consider that consumers in high-income countries increasingly prefer superior-quality wines.
The data speaks for itself:
85% of Italian wine appreciators consider natural cork the best closure to ensure the qualities of the wine.
93% of U.S. consumers associate natural cork closures with high quality wine.
84% of Chinese consumers prefer to buy wines sealed with a natural cork closure
84% of French consumers agree that natural cork is synonymous with quality
80% of Brazilian consumers believe that noble wines should be sealed with cork stoppers and are willing to pay more for a bottle of wine sealed with a natural cork closure
86% of Spanish consumers agree that natural cork closures preserve the quality of the wine more effectively than alternative closures
Consumers are willing to pay more for cork-sealed wines
According to the same Italian study previously mentioned, sealing a wine with a natural cork stopper also increases the perceived value of the wine.
Participants of the inquiry estimated that the cost of the wine sealed with natural cork was €7.69 - a 16% climb from the wine sealed with a screw cap. They were also willing to pay €7.78 per bottle, €1.21 more than for the wine with a screw cap.
A study conducted in Brazil revealed that consumers are willing to pay up to 5 euros more for a wine closed with a natural cork stopper.
Natural cork is the most sustainable packaging option
Finally, consumer demand for sustainable packaging has been on the rise. Consumers are 57% less likely to buy a product when they consider the packaging harmful to the environment, with 44% of consumers declaring that they "won't buy" products in packaging that is harmful to the environment.
Indeed, the value placed on environmentally friendly production is increasing across business segments, especially for new consumers - and natural cork beats the competition in that aspect as well.
Cork oak trees are natural retainers of CO2, and the harvesting of cork actually contributes to this: a stripped cork oak absorbs, on average, five times more CO2 during its regeneration than a regular cork oak. Furthermore, these trees prevent soil degradation, regulate the hydrological cycle, combat desertification, and contribute to biodiversity. Cork is a natural material that is renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable.
In comparison to aluminum and plastic stoppers, the production of cork stoppers uses 75% less non-renewable energy, produces 25 times fewer greenhouse gases and half the solid waste.
In conclusion
While natural cork stoppers - especially those of a higher cosmetic grade - represent a more significant investment than their more processed counterparts, the ROI (return on investment) is worth the plunge. Not only is this true because of the price consumers are willing to pay, but also because of the effect it has on the product’s perceived quality.