World Finance Sustainability Awards: Corticeira Amorim wins first prize in the “Wine products industry” category of the World Finance magazine’s Sustainability Awards. Distinguished for the third consecutive year, the Portuguese company has been recognised for its implementation of circular economy principles, preservation of the cork oak forest and its associated ecosystem services, promotion of training, safety, well-being, and personal, social and professional development of its employees and its encouragement, support and investment in Research & Development + Innovation.
Aquisition of the Cold River´s Homestead, SA: Corticeira Amorim, through its subsidiary Amorim Florestal, concludes an agreement with Banco Comercial Português for the acquisition of 50% of Cold River's Homestead, SA, headquartered in Lisboa, the company that owns Herdade do Rio Frio.
Amorim Cork Flooring expands to Canada with offices in Toronto. As a reflection of the company’s values that settle on Sustainability, AFCAN focuses on Amorim Wise, Amorim Cork Flooring green brand, that provides sustainable and PVC free cork flooring solutions with a negative carbon balance.
Amorim Cork launches Naturity and Xpür - the most innovative, ecological and efficient anti-TCA technologies in the world: With Naturity and Xpür Corticeira Amorim extends the performance of non-detectable TCA to both natural and technical cork stoppers. It is the fulfillment of a long-awaited promise.
New premises in Australia: Amorim Australasia opens its doors in Regency Park, South Australia. Amorim Australasia is the largest Australian importer of cork for the wine industry, supplying all of Asia Pacific with treated and customized corks.
World Finance Sustainability Award: Corticeira Amorim was distinguished in the “Wine products industry” category. The World Finance Sustainability Awards annually highlights companies that apply strong sustainability values to their businesses.
50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders - Corticeira Amorim is the only Portuguese company to be part of the TBD Media Group campaign. The project brings together a wide range of organizations that lead the fight against climate change at a global level. Sustainability, technology and innovation were other drivers that guided the choice of participants.
Tribute to Américo Amorim: In the year of its 150th anniversary, the Amorim Group paid tribute to Américo Ferreira Amorim with the inauguration of a sculpture by Pedro Cabrita Reis, a street named "Comendador Américo Ferreira Amorim" and a bust designed by Artur Moreira. The ceremonies were attended by the family, Amorim Group officials and representatives of various local authorities.
Corticeira Amorim makes its 1st issue of Green Bonds: The loan is intended to refinance a diversified set of green investments carried out in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 1st half of 2020 by eight companies from the five Business Units of the Corticeira Amorim Group.
Corticeira Amorim wins Best Raw Materials Sustainability – Europe 2020: The prize awarded by Capital Finance International highlights the company's pioneering attitude in terms of sustainable development. Dedication to the best environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, while maintaining strong profitability, were other attributes valued by the jury.
Corticeira Amorim subscribes to Act4nature: The initiative launched by the Business Council for Sustainable Development Portugal (BCSD) aims to raise awareness, mobilize and encourage companies to protect, promote and restore biodiversity. This participation as a member of the initiative reflects Corticeira Amorim's mission to add value to cork in a competitive, differentiated and innovative way in perfect harmony with nature.
Planet Cork at the World of Wine: Planet Cork is a new museum entirely dedicated to cork and its avant-garde potential. The space opened in the summer of 2020 and is part of WOW - World of Wine, the new cultural space in Porto.
Corticeira Amorim celebrated its 150th anniversary. The company unveiled a new visual identity, including a new logo that forges a link between its 150-year history and strong commitment to the future.
Corticeira Amorim, through its subsidiary Amorim Bartop - Investimentos e Participações, SA, which is part of the Cork Stoppers Business Unit (BU), and develops and produces capsulated stoppers for the spirits segment, acquired the remaining 30% of Elfverson & Co AB, that has its registered office in Påryd, Sweden. 2.
Acquisition of 50% of VINOLOK, a.s., that has its registered office in Jablonec nad Nisou, in the Czech Republic. Vinolok serves the premium international wine and spirits market with an innovative glass stopper that combines creativity and appealing design with strong technical characteristics. This acquisition significantly complements and reinforces the current portfolio of solutions offered by Amorim through its unique worldwide distribution network. The historic association of cork and glass will deliver additional gains in sustainability and design in premium and ultra-premium packaging for wines and spirits.
Corticeira Amorim's freefloat attained 28.59%, after the completion of a Private Sale Offer (ABB) of 10% of its share capital, through the sale of shares held by reference shareholders).
Amorim Florestal, S.A., the sub-holding company of the Group’s Raw Materials Business Unit, has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of Cosabe - Companhia Silvo-Agrícola da Beira, SA, headquartered in Lisbon, whose main asset is a forest property named Herdade da Baliza, located in the Castelo Branco/International Tagus area (Portugal), having a total area of 2,866 hectares.
António Amorim wins the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2018. Originally created by Ernst & Young in the United States in 1986, and now holding its 7th edition in Portugal, the award distinguishes outstanding figures from the business sector, on the basis of criteria such as creativity, business vision and career achievements.
Corticeira Amorim celebrates 30 years on the Portuguese Stock Exchange. Corticeira Amorim was listed on the Portuguese Stock Exchange in April 1988, followed by Ipocork and Amorim & Irmãos in June, and Champcork in July of that year. In 1989, a public exchange offer was launched - offering Corticeira Amorim shares in exchange for the shares of Ipocork, Amorim & Irmãos and Champcork.
Amorim Bartop - Investimentos e Participações, SA, has entered into an agreement to acquire the company Elfverson & Co AB, which has its headquarters in Påryd, Sweden. Under the terms of the agreement, 70% of the capital of Elfverson & Co AB is acquired. The agreement includes a put option on the remaining 30% of the capital, on the part of the seller and a purchase option on the same remaining capital on the part of amorim Bartop - Investimentos e Participações, SA, exercisable from 2020.
Amorim Bartop – Investimentos e Participações, S.A., has entered into an agreement for the acquisition of the company S.A.S. Sodiliège, located in Merpins, Cognac (França). Sodiliége produces and distributes bartop closures for alcoholic and spirit drinks such as cognac and armagnac.
Death of Américo Amorim, the charismatic leader of the third generation of the Amorim family, Chairman of Corticeira Amorim between 1953 and 2001.
Amorim & Irmãos, SGPS, S.A., has entered into an agreement with a view to the acquisition of the share capital of Etablissements Christian Bourrassé, a company with its headquarters in Tosse (France). Etablissements Christian Bourrassé fully owns the capital of Socori – Sociedade de Cortiças de Rio Meão, S.A. (Rio Meão, Portugal) and of Corpack Bourrassé S.A. (Santiago, Chile) – the three jointly designated as Bourrassé.
Increase of the free float of Corticeira Amorim to 25.136% through an Accelerated Bookbuilding process ("Private Offer”).
Launching of Amorim Cork Ventures, a business incubator set up by Corticeira Amorim, with the purpose of promoting the design of new cork products and cork-related businesses mainly targeted to foreign markets, providing entrepreneurs access not only to funding, but also to management skills, know-how and an extensive network of contacts in different industries and countries.
Corticeira Amorim awarded with the Seal of Sustainability for the Sustainable Construction Platform, while it was the managing entity of the Sustainable Habitat Cluster in Portugal, in an initiative to recognise the efforts of entities and companies in favour of sustainability. Corticeira Amorim fulfilled 11 of the criteria subject to assessment, and was given the gold level result.
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei, made with cork provided by Amorim. The Pavilion was built with over 80 m3 of cork and enjoyed the extensive media coverage of the renowned London gallery. It was open to the public between June and October and thereafter included in the private collection of renowned international collectors Usha and Lakshmi N. Mittal.
The expanded cork board by Amorim Isolamentos is included in the «BuildingGreen Top-10 Products for 2013», by Building Green, a publication by GreenSpec and the Environmental Building News (EBN). With this distinction, it is renowned as one of the 10 most ecological and sustainable products for the construction sector, in the USA.
Amorim & Irmãos, SGPS, S.A. acquires Trefinos. Located in Girona, Spain, the company leads in the production and marketing of stoppers for champagnes and sparkling wines in Catalonia. With almost a century of history, Trefinos owns an important international business network in countries such as France, Italy and the USA.
The cork oak is declared Portugal's National Tree, by the Portuguese Parliament.
Acquisition of the companies Espana SL, ACI - Corchos Argentina and Amorim Natural Cork, S.A. by Amorim & Irmãos, S.G.P.S., S.A.
Joint venture between Timberman and Corticeira Amorim, to lead the wood and cork flooring market in Denmark.
Strategic alliance between Corticeira Amorim and the Vertex Group, based in Shanghai (China) and operating in Asia, Europe and the USA/Canada. This alliance joins the two largest producers of cork coverings and LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tiles) respectively, for the production and development of innovative solutions for coverings.
Start-up of the new factory for the preparation of cork, in Salgueiros, Ponte de Sôr. With a total area of 17 hectares and a production capacity of around 750 000/year.
Kaizen Lean Award distinguishes the productivity and operational efficiency of Corticeira Amorim in the category «Excellence in Productivity» for the Amorim & Irmãos Raro Unit.
Wicanders flooring, by Amorim Revestimentos, cover the mythical Sagrada Família, by Gaudí, in Barcelona.
MATERIA, launched by Corticeira Amorim, a collection of innovative items presented at the prestigious Fuori Salone, in Milan.
Presentation of DYN CORK, an innovative fabric in natural cork, presented in partnership with a player from the sector.
British supermarket chain Sainsbury's and Corticeira Amorim undertake commitment in favour of increasing the value of natural cork. Sainsbury's, the United Kingdom's second largest chain of supermarkets, announces that it shall exclusively use cork stoppers certified by the FSC - Forest Stewardship Council in its wines.
Amorim Florestal, S.A. creates the R&D department focused on the ongoing improvement of all the processes, from the cork oak forest to the final product.
Corticeira Amorim cork stoppers help preserve 200-year old champagne. Over 160 bottles of champagne discovered in the Baltic sea are recovered with the technical support of Corticeira Amorim, which ensures the replacement of the original stopper for a new natural cork stopper.
Launch of CORKSORB, an innovative range of natural cork-based absorbents. The new product has a unique capacity in the control and clean-up of oil and hydrocarbon spills.
Corticeira Amorim develops a collection of luxury capsulated stoppers. The new natural cork stopper, called Top Series®, emerges within the scope of the strategic commitment to Innovation and is the fruit of the use of state-of-the-art technology. It is designed to meet the needs of the producers of premium spirits.
Corticeira Amorim cork stoppers are chosen to seal the most expensive whisky in the world, the Dalmore Trinitas 64. Just three luxury bottles were produced, with a price of around 118 000 Euros per bottle. The chosen corks are from the premium Top Series range.
Portuguese Pavilion at Shanghai Expo, covered entirely with cork provided by Corticeira Amorim, is distinguished with the Design Award.
Opening of the world's first cork recycling facility at Amorim Cork Composites in Mozelos, to make the Green Cork recycling program possible.
Sustainability Report 2007 distinguished by Corporate Register, featuring in the TOP10 of the «Relevance and Materiality» category.
Corticeira Amorim is the 25th most influential company in the world wine market, recognition by the renowned wine magazine Drinks Business.
The 1st Sustainability Report of CORTICEIRA AMORIM is distinguished by Corporate Register as one of the world's top three reports in the category of "Openness and Honesty" and as one of the top six in the category of "Relevance and Materiality".
Joins Condomínio da Terra & GFTN, a volunteer system which aims to care for the planet in an integrated manner. Corticeira Amorim becomes its 1st member.
Launch of Green Cork, an initiative by Quercus with the support of Corticeira Amorim. It is a program for the collection and recycling of cork, the proceeds of which will go to planting and preserving the native forest in Portugal.
Acquisition of 100% of the German group Cortex and 25% of the North American company US Floors, Inc. Amorim Flooring is able in this manner to join two of the most important cork flooring distributors in the respective markets.
Aware of its responsibility as world leader in the cork processing sector - a segment which ensures the viability of the whole cork industry -, Corticeira Amorim publishes the first and only Sustainability Report in the industry and begins a regular, systematic and structured communication of its policies and practices on sustainability.
This is the first step in a broader sustainability programme which would later be launched - the Natural Choice Programme - launched with the aim of integrating the sustainability of the business and increasing Corticeira Amorim's competitiveness in the long-term.
Corticeira Amorim becomes a member of the BCSD - Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Acquisition of 87% of the prestigious Oller Group. Corticeira Amorim acquires a percentage equivalent to the share capital of the French company S.A. OLLER ET CIE, based in Reims, and of the company Francisco Oller, S.A. based in Cassà de la Selva. The production capacity and distribution of champagne stoppers are reinforced.
Creation of Amorim Cork Composites, Corticeira Amorim's new business unit, resulting from the integration of the Cork Rubber and Technical Agglomerates BUs. This is an important step in achieving the Organisation's strategy, since it leverages business development, strengthens the loyalty of its customer base and improves operational efficiency.
Acquisition of SOBEFI - production and marketing of capsulated stoppers. Amorim France acquires this unit, located in the Cognac region, in France, an important step in achieving the strategy for growth in high added value segments.
Two macro-divisions are created for the strategic management of the business - Amorim Natural Cork (Raw Materials and Cork Stoppers BU) and Amorim Cork Composites (technical applications of cork agglomerate in products and solutions) and also a new area of transversal support to the whole Organisation - Amorim Cork Research, for the innovation challenge.
Shares acquired in the French company Société Nouvelle des Bouchons Trescases, S.A., which, since its foundation at the end of the 19th century, has been a leading brand in the French cork stoppers market, with a strong commercial positioning, particularly in natural cork stoppers for top of the range wines. Thus a reinforcement in the distribution capacity is made in the world's largest and most faithful market to the high quality cork stopper, a closure which benefits from an enviable rate of sustainable growth, both in France and throughout the world.
Acquisition of the Equipar Group, which owns two industrial companies: Equipar Indústria de Cortiça and Equipar Rolha Natural. Thus, the quality of the cork stopper industry is consolidated, enabling Clients to have access to high quality products with high technical and sensory performance. The industrial facilities, located in Coruche, are equipped with the most advanced technology for the production of natural and technical stoppers, segment from the high added value product mix for which greater growth is expected.
Amorim Cork Composites, based in Mozelos (Portugal), receives FSC certification, thus becoming the first packaging company in the world to receive this important environmental certification.
The process to restructure the universe of the Natural Cork Business Unit factories begins (preparation of cork raw material and cork stopper production). The goal is to rationalise costs, centralise services and standardise production processes which are scattered across different factory units. Amorim & Irmãos, S.G.P.S., S.A. leads a merger process with other factory units that had previously operated independently in the market.
António Rios de Amorim, at 34 years of age, succeeds Américo Ferreira de Amorim. The fourth generation of the Amorim family, actively involved in the Group's activities for over a decade, now begins to take on leadership roles.
Establishment of Amorim & Irmãos, S.A. - Coruche Unit. Identical to the Ponte de Sôr factory, this unit is designed to produce discs for champagne stoppers marketed under the Spark® brand. With the opening of the Ponte de Sôr and Coruche units, the verticalisation of the whole cork stopper production process becomes a reality.
Privatisation of the competing sectors and those considered as non-strategic to the Tunisian State. A major share is acquired in Société Nationale du Liège (SNL), a company located in the centre of the main cork-producing region of Tunisia and Algeria, that undertakes its activity in various segments of cork processing (natural cork stoppers, discs, granulates and agglomerates).
Acquisition of the company Discork Cortiças, S.A, located in S. João de Ver, in the municipality of Santa Maria da Feira, an industrial unit dedicated exclusively to the production of cork discs. It produces 700 million discs/year, an important contribution to the planned expansion of the production capacity of the Twin Top® stopper.
Creation of Amorim & Irmãos, S.A. - Ponte de Sôr Unit, the centre for the preparation of raw materials and the manufacture of discs for Twin Top® stoppers. The revolutionary CONVEX® boiling system is introduced. The opening of this unit enhances the quality control of the raw material, and gives credibility to the cork industry on a global level.
Corticeira Amorim, S.G.P.S., S.A., public limited company, reinforces the structure of its share capital, by increasing the capital reserved for shareholders from 71.5 million Euros to 133 million Euros: 23.8 million Euros by incorporating reserves and 37.7 million Euros through cash contributions.
Acquisition of 50% of the share capital of the Chilean company Industria Corchera, S.A., market leader in the supply of components for the wine industry, from equipment, capsules, muselets and barrels to natural cork stoppers, the last two being their main product line. This acquisition reinforces the company's historical connection to Corticeira Amorim, S.G.P.S., S.A., since business relations had existed between them for over 30 years and it enabled the former to be recognised, since the early 1980s, for the quality of the products it markets - as sole supplier to the Chilean wine market, and the latter to conquer a rapidly expanding high quality market.
A new corporate image for the Amorim Group. The Amorim logo is now a stylised tree with the Amorim name, symbolising the Group's principles: environmental harmony, natural strength and confidence in growth, which reinforces the Amorim identity and culture, internally and externally.
CORTICEIRA AMORIM acquires control of the cork rubber-related business activities of the GTS group (Global Technologies System).
Amorim Isolamentos, S.A. is formed for the production of insulation cork boards.
Foundation of Academia Amorim, still an important reference, an international institution to promote wine, whose mission is to encourage research and scientific work to improve wine conservation conditions.
Américo Ferreira de Amorim is elected Chairman of the Confédération Européenne du Liège, an organisation whose mission is to research and develop studies that shall make it possible to set international standards and exchange knowledge with other institutions and organisations in the cork sector.
Acquisition of the company Carl Ed. Meyer, GmbH & Co, German leader in the import and distribution of cork coverings, responsible for the annual marketing of two million square metres of decorative flooring and parquets.
Acquisition of the Belgian company specialised in acoustic and anti-vibration insulation, CDM Composite Damping Material, S.A.
A joint-venture is formed with the Kies Kurk, B.V., a Dutch company formed in 1845, which owns a network of over 150 distributors of floor and wall covering materials.
The first year of the consolidation of the accounts of all the Group's cork operations. The turnover of CORTICEIRA AMORIM, S.G.P.S., S.A. reaches 23.6 billion Escudos, their products represent 34% of Portuguese cork exports and their 2593 workers account for 18% of the sector.
Acquisition of the Swedish Wicanders group, an important step in the added diversification in the coverings segment, with a vast distribution network, particularly in northern and central European countries.
Acquisition of RARO - Rufino Alves Ribeiro e filhos, Lda. (currently Amorim & Irmãos, S.A. - Raro Industrial Unit), a company specialised in the manufacture of capsulated cork stoppers, in operation since 1926.
Corticeira Amorim's four largest companies - Amorim & Irmãos, S.A., Corticeira Amorim Indústria, S.A., Ipocork - Indústria de Pavimentos e Decoração, S.A. and Champcork - Rolhas de Champanhe, S.A., launch an initial public offering on the Lisbon Stock Exchange.
Corticeira Amorim wins the International Quality Trophy, for which companies from 140 countries compete. «Quality is never an accident. It is the result of an intelligent effort», emphasises Américo Amorim.
The first Portuguese-Hungarian industrial joint venture is created - Hungarocork-Amorim, GmbH,the result of the merger of the Amorim Group with two Hungarian state companies. These factory units have the capacity to produce 120 million cork stoppers annually and process waste into granulates for use in applications in construction.
Labcork, Laboratório Central do Grupo Amorim, S.A. emerges, the result of a new strategy of differentiation by quality. With the industrial units possessing the capacity to produce all cork by-products, Corticeira Amorim strengthens its policies and competencies in Research & Development and quality control. Labcork covers the activity of the whole Group. It aims to anticipate and respond to the foreseeable demands of this developing market: adapting production to new bottling processes and to the market requirements of various beverages, in compliance with strict international quality standards.
At the time, cork agglomerates were increasingly used in the production of components for sophisticated equipment, such as cars, spacecraft and nuclear power plants. Floor coverings and parquets undergo a period of constant technical development.
The creation of Champcork Rolhas de Champanhe, S.A., a company set up to produce stoppers for champagne and sparkling wines. Champcork sells 80 million cork stoppers/year and has the capacity to double this number, thanks to cutting-edge technology used in production.
Establishment of a company in Canada, to market cork rubber. Due to the proximity to the USA, the new company enables Corticeira Amorim to enter the American market, the most important in the cork rubber products sector.
Creation of Portocork Internacional, S.A. An important natural cork stopper production unit, whose brand rapidly establishes itself in the market.
Establishment of Ipocork - Indústria de Pavimentos e Decoração, S.A. (currently Amorim Revestimentos, S.A.) marks Corticeira Amorim's entry into the parquet and coverings market.
International expansion takes an Iberian route. Samec, S.A. - Sociedad Anónima de Manufactura Española del Corcho, one of the largest companies in the cork industry in Spain, a country with significant cork oak forests.
Corticeira Amorim successfully begins to produce cork rubber.
The first processing plant outside national territory is created - Comatral - Compagnie Marocaine de Transformation du Liège, S.A. - in Skhirat, Morocco. It is established in the second most important cork oak forest region in the world, the Mediterranean coast of Africa. Morocco represents 400 000 hectares of productive area, 15% of the world total, despite producing only around 26 000 tonnes of cork/year.
The productive fabric of the Portuguese cork sector changes. Half the raw material exported is now industrially manufactured, representing 75% of the value of Portuguese cork exports. Maintaining its leadership in the sector, Portugal becomes a manufacturing country. The district of Aveiro, where Corticeira Amorim is based, becomes the country's cork stopper capital, responsible for 75% of national production.
Amorim & Irmãos, Lda. consolidates its position in the cork stopper and disc sector, with the Santa Maria de Lamas and Abrantes units, and takes the lead both in the quantity and quality produced.
Corticeira Amorim records remarkable growth in the production of granulates and white agglomerates. It invests in innovative projects for the incorporation of these materials with the creation of a specific unit to produce parquet, another to produce decorative items and yet another for solutions which incorporate technical mixtures of cork with rubber (CorkRubber). In the Algarve, Corticeira Amorim Algarve, Lda. is responsible for the production of around 8% of the black agglomerates market.
The opening of Gerhard Schiesser GmbH, the first subsidiary, in Vienna, gives new impetus to relations with the countries of the former Soviet Union, enabling political restrictions at the time to be overcome.
Between 1966 and 1969 the acquisition and creation of various companies in Portugal and abroad takes place, some in countries banned during the Cold War. These include Inacor - Indústria Transformadora de Aglomerados de Cortiça, S.A., for the production of expanded cork agglomerates; Itexcork - Indústria de Transformação e Exportação de Cortiça, Lda. and the foundation of Corticeira Amorim Algarve, Lda., for the production of black cork agglomerates, used in thermal, acoustic and vibration insulation. With the new companies, Corticeira Amorim is able to broaden its verticalisation strategy and strengthen the objective to internationalise.
Corticeira Amorim is formed, an industrial unit for the production of cork granules and agglomerates. The goal is to transform 70% of the waste produced by Amorim & Irmãos, Lda., generated from the manufacture of cork stoppers, into granules and these into valuable pure compound agglomerates, from which it is possible to produce a set of new cork applications.
Observing the maxim «not just one market, not just one client, not just one currency, not just one product», Corticeira Amorim develops a strategy for the verticalisation of the business, with the goal of achieving world leadership in the production and export of cork products. In spite of the government policy at that time of restricting industry, and the resulting difficulties in obtaining licences for establishing companies, the company still managed to build industrial units for producing a variety of cork-based products.
At that time, Portugal consolidates its position as the world's largest cork producer (raw material). However, around 80% of the cork is exported raw and processed in other countries.
Américo Amorim's first trip to the Soviet Union marks the start of a tour to the Eastern Bloc countries. Overcoming major constraints which were risky at the time, Amorim & Irmãos becomes the biggest Portuguese exporter to Eastern Europe.
The third Amorim generation assumes control of Amorim &Irmãos, Lda. During the post-war period, the four brothers - José, António, Américo and Joaquim Ferreira de Amorim - take the helm of the company and the responsibility for changing the face of the Portuguese cork industry.
Henrique Alves de Amorim receives the commendation of Officer of the Order of Public Instruction. It was in recognition for his dedication to his town. He invested over 32 000 000 Escudos in improvements to the town, which is confirmed by a handwritten signed manuscript, affixed on one of the walls of the portrait room in the Santa Maria de Lamas Museum.
As a result of his support, a series of important infrastructures were created in Santa Maria de Lamas, such as the Museum and its respective collection, the cinema, schools and school canteens, kindergartens and an after-school centre, swimming pools and low-rent housing, an anti-tuberculosis dispensary, parks and gardens, buildings for the Post Office, Casa do Povo (community centre) and for the exploitation and supply of domestic water.
Amorim & Irmãos, Lda. has extensive knowledge of cork and the functioning of the market. The proper valuation of this raw material enables the company to resume its position as the largest cork manufacturer in the north.
On the 21st March a fire completely destroys the company's facility in Santa Maria de Lamas, leaving the largest factory in Vila da Feira in ruins. The whole municipality is shaken by the disaster. Hundreds of workers are left without jobs. Losses reach 15 000 000 Escudos.
Two months later, the news of the start of part-time work, with over 300 workers, is reported in the Boletim da Junta Nacional da Cortiça.
At the same time, the end of the 2nd World War is in sight, creating a climate favourable for a general economic upturn.
The warehouse acquired in Abrantes becomes a factory for preparing cork planks. It is the first step in the integration of two different phases in the production process – the production of the raw material and the production of the cork stopper – guaranteeing the quality of the final product.
At a time of great social challenges, the call for issues of responsibility is reflected in Amorim & Irmãos' pioneering initiative. The first staff refectory opens, where the company serves hot soup daily. Access to a doctor is also provided. It is the beginnings of what would become part of the area of Social Responsibility, which today is implemented and developed in all large companies.
The Amorim family buys a small warehouse in Abrantes, close to the country's main cork oak forest area. Raw material is now acquired directly, thus preventing the stranglehold by foreign companies. At the time, despite being the world's largest cork producer, Portugal only processes around 5% of the raw material, while the rest is monopolised by foreign organisations. The Amorim family's strategy was to counteract this trend.
The Amorim & Irmãos business card now bears the slogan «The largest cork stopper factory in the north of Portugal», which boasts 150 workers.
Despite the Great Depression, the cork industry flourishes thanks to the development of innovative products and solutions and the high added value for the market. The applications for cork are generalised and its by-products used in thermal and acoustic coverings, as well as in many other areas.
Amorim & Irmãos, Lda. crosses geographical borders, taking cork to several parts of the world, with exports to Japan, Germany, the United States, France, Brazil, England, Holland, Belgium and Sweden.
Over the course of the decade, Amorim & Irmãos shall become the largest cork manufacturing factory in the north of Portugal, thriving to the present day.
The first company, Amorim & Irmãos, Lda. is born. It is officially established on the 11th March with a share capital of 90 000 Escudos, the partners being the children of António Alves Amorim and Ana Pinto Alves: José, Manuel, Henrique, Américo, Ana, Rosa, António, Joaquim and Bernardina.
Amorim & Irmãos, Lda. gave rise to the universe of companies that now make up Corticeira Amorim. This second generation of Amorim's brought new impetus to the activity being developed and the company became a benchmark in the national cork industry.
The Amorim Family opens a new workshop in Santa Maria de Lamas, to broaden production. At the time, international trade is on the rise and gains economic and social importance. The cork stopper is increasingly seen as a luxury product, de rigueur for high quality wines produced by the best wineries of the era.
CORTICEIRA AMORIM's activity begins with the foundation of António Alves Amorim's manual cork stopper factory, on the Quay in Vila Nova de Gaia.