Dear customers and friends,
I must admit that this year I was a bit worried about the 2025 campaign, because there have been (and still are) very pessimistic and negative comments about this year’s cork harvest. Apparently, some companies are determined to devalue cork, and of course, this clashes with the landowners who, having very good cork and after caring for their estates for 9 or 10 years, refuse to sell the cork at those low prices and decide not to
harvest it for yet another year.
As most of our clients already know, this is not our policy. Since the beginning of each year, we diligently search for the best cork. Then, when our technical director and advisory team give a positive report on a property, I personally negotiate the price with the owner. But, of course, respecting their work and requests, again this year we have reached an agreement on the 4 estates from which we will harvest, maintaining good harmony from the start.
This year, we began harvesting simultaneously on 3 estates on 9 June. This requires maximum effort since, without neglecting factory duties, we must have at least 2 to 3 staff members at each estate. Besides sorting the cork to be brought to the factory, we also have to immediately cut the “zapatas” (cork bases) upon receipt of the cork. We estimate that in these estates we will finish around 15 July and, starting at the beginning of July on the fourth estate, we will conclude three weeks later.
Fortunately, the 4 estates this year are located in the famous Sierra de San Pedro in Extremadura, Spain. This at least makes it easier to control and manage logistics.
As I mentioned earlier, we started the harvest on the 9th, and on the 10th, accompanied by Juan Amador (our technical director), we visited the start of activities at the 3 estates, finding everything normal and especially confirming that the cork quality matches the diagnosis made by the technical team during audits. It is of very good quality and with sufficient calibre to make special size corks without problems.
On 16, 17 and 18 June, we welcomed a group of Italian and Spanish entrepreneurs and technicians who wanted to learn about our work and the harvest. This visit was very valuable to verify on-site the 100% traceability control. (We do not publish photos of this visit as we do not have authorization from those involved). According to the visitors’ comments, the visit was a success, helped by the tour of the beautiful city of
Cáceres.
On the 19th, we received our first truckload of cork
and as you can see from the photos, the 2027 corks will be at least as good and reliable as those from 2025.
Although we have visits scheduled for June and July, and despite the maximum effort we are making during these dates, we want to invite you to visit us, as during this time we are at the limit of all our manufacturing processes.
Valdepeñas, 23 June 2025
Francisco González Sánchez
CEO of Gruart La Mancha, S.A.