Amorim Florestal aims to provide procurement, sourcing, purchase, stocking and preparation of cork as a raw material, and then supply it to Corticeira Amorim’s other business units.
Set up at the end of 2002, as a result of organisational restructuring of Corticeira Amorim, the company’s mission is to operate in all parts of the world where cork is produced. The staff have in-depth knowledge of cork, the different production areas and the forestry estates, as well as extensive experience from their relationship with forest producers, developed over many years.
Amorim Florestal has developed a georeferencing and knowledge base that ensures access to highly reliable data on the quantitative and qualitative evolution of the various cork-producing areas, regions and countries. Portugal and Spain are the world’s two biggest producers (with 50% + 30% of world production, respectively) and represent more than 90% of the global supply of cork. Amorim Florestal also has primary cork preparation and processing units in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, where the sale of cork, by auction or by public auction, is conducted by the State, the only forestry producer in these territories.
Amorim Florestal's entire purchasing process results from its historical knowledge and the evaluation of cork in the respective year of the harvest or in the immediately preceding year. Well-maintained estates normally have their good practices certified under a FSC - Forest Stewardship Council certification process. This seal of approval recognises the huge contribution played by correct management of cork oak forests, to ensure that we can live on a more sustainable Planet.
Amorim Florestal also innovates in processes that involve the entire cork extraction operation from the cork oak, as well as its handling until it is dispatched to the processing units. These processes, with the aid of technology, can lower costs, improve reliability and ensure consistency in the choice of raw material. But Amorim Florestal intends to increase its performance levels, both for the benefit of Corticeira Amorim and the entire industry.
The company aims to create more scientific knowledge that can be applied in the field, and that will improve the fight against pests and diseases, minimise the effects of climate change and, above all, foster innovation in cork oak forests and evolution of the trees. On the basis of this assumption, the current objective is to promote Research & Development associated to the cork oak tree, such as its installation, to ensure that we have more and better cork in the future. The Forestry Intervention Project (PIF) aims to establish several partnerships with existing forestry producers in order to apply the result of this knowledge in the field. This is achieved through plantations of cork oak trees that favour greater tree density and bring forward the initial cycle of cork extraction. Ultimately, Amorim Florestal's job is to promote a higher level of cork production, that in turn can support Corticeira Amorim's growth targets for its business activity.
Within the scope of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and FSC certifications, Amorim Florestal makes available to all interested parties the policies and scope of the respective management systems. To consult this information please contact info.afl@amorim.com.
Innovation, research and quality control are among Amorim's top priorities. Major R&D investment, complemented by a significant investment in innovation, have helped increase knowledge about cork and have improved its quality. Two examples are INOVCORK and the CORK4FUTURE project, which aims to increase production capacity and the quality of the raw materials supplied by the Ponte de Sor, Coruche and Salteiros units. These improvements are leveraged through acquisition of production equipment with innovative technology that result from R&D projects carried out by the company, supported by the Tax Incentive System to stimulate R&D.
The Cork2Wine project also takes advantage of cork oak forest management and aims to influence the improvement of cork properties, its processing and quality in interaction with wine. The project has a global budget of €4,948,217 and is co-financed by the CDTI Innovation with FEDER funds from the European Union through the Multiregional Operational Program of Spain 2014-2020.
Agenda Transform is a unique national initiative that aims to trigger the structural transformation of the Portuguese forestry sector, intervening in a concerted manner throughout the entire value chain. It materializes in 28 collaborative, mobilizing and complementary projects, which will result in new products, processes and services, supported by digital technologies, with a high degree of innovation, which will contribute to more sustainable forest management and improved efficiency of companies , ensuring greater connection to markets and consumers.
Herdade de Rio Frio, spanning approximately 5090 hectares, is located south of Lisbon in the municipalities of Alcochete and Palmela alongside the Tagus estuary. Once part of one of Portugal's largest estates, it became known in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for pioneering modern agricultural planning and production techniques.
During the first half of the 20th century, the predominant crop planted at “the largest continuous vineyard in the world, spanning 4,000 hectares” was progressively replaced, giving rise to a plantation of cork oaks and then a unique landscape of aligned cork oak forests, which Professor Vieira da Natividade considered “the largest patch of artificial cork oak forest in the world”.
The estate is crossed to the north by the River Enguias, a tributary of the Tagus, where the Venda Velha dam is located. The dam has a length of 3 km and several arms that lend it particular beauty, and extends south to near the Ribeira da Marateca, a tributary of the River Sado.
With the exception of the floodplains downstream of the Venda Velha dam, which are formed by modern alluvial deposits, the area lies predominantly on a Pliocene geological site where sandy soils are prevalent. The climate is typical of sub-Mediterranean zones, with the cork oak being the predominant species.
The rich flora and fauna, marked by the presence of many sedentary and migratory species typical of wetland areas, and its diverse landscape, although clearly dominated by the presence of “aligned” cork oaks, stone and maritime pines, ash and willow trees in the floodplains, and the existing vineyard near Monte de Rio Frio, provide it with a particularly interesting and beautiful setting.
In addition to cork production, Herdade de Rio Frio also extensively produces grapes, rice, vegetables, and cattle.
Herdade de Rio Frio, SA
Lugar de Salteiros de Baixo, Longomel
7400-402 Ponte de Sor
Telefone: +351 212 319 661
E-mail: riofrio.hrf@amorim.com