M.A.SILVA hits new heights

www.thedrinksbusiness.com

Founded fifty years ago by current chairman Manuel Alves de Silva, M.A.Silva is one of the few independent companies in the cork sector.

The Portuguese company has grown to become a global player, and now offers fully vertically integrated production, from stripping the cork from the trees to end-product delivery, with outposts in four continents. However, its ambitions reach further than production volume. M.A.Silva has already broken ground in the cork industry: its Onebyone system ensures individual cork analysis for TCA detection with parts-per-trillion sensitivity, its Sara Advanced technology ensures sensory standardisation and Dynavox leads the sector in cork raw material sterilisation.

As the company’s operations develop, investment in technology is crucial to its work. Since 2020, M.A.Silva has invested more than €15 million (£12.8m) in Neotech, its technology to help guarantee TCA-free cork stoppers. Sustainability is central to M.A.Silva’s future plans. In using 100% natural cork, the company works with a product that is 100% reusable and recyclable.

Cork forests absorb millions of tons of carbon dioxide each year, providing biodiverse natural habitats for wildlife including insects. A recent assessment by KPMG has found its overall production process to be carbon negative, bolstered by continued investment in renewable power sources and energy efficiency. In recognition of the company’s bumper year, the drinks business spoke to CEO José Silva about its plans.

M.A.Silva continues to grow year on year. On what scale is the company operating?
José Silva: So far this year, we have harvested 700,000 arrobas of cork, which is equivalent to 10,500,000 kg of the material. This ensures, and continually strengthens, our delivery capacity.”

What does that equate to in terms of the number of closures created?
“We saw the sale of more than 700m cork stoppers in 2022. Around 12m of these were processed using the Onebyone individual analysis system, and our corks reached more than 40 wine-producing countries, with a total of more than 8.000 customers, in the four corners of the world”

Beyond upping production, which other targets have you achieved this year?
“Never before have we felt we are contributing so much to the sustainability of our business model, and to the wellbeing of our teams. Such an extraordinary social and environmental contribution is distinguished by our corks being a natural product with a negative carbon impact. This is our commitment to present and future generations, to the development of our society, and to a better world.”

You have evolved a lot in the past 50 years. What ethos is guiding your plans for the next 50?
“It is our name in the world that I want to preserve. That is the company’s future heritage.”