Ganau

Type of activity: Cork factory

 

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Cork factory

Mauro Bacci
Job: Sales representative of corks for Ganau cork factory and responsible for the provinces of Verona and Vicenza.
Distinguishing features: born in Venice, oenologist, graduated in Conegliano in 1987. He works in the province of Verona since 1989 and for Ganau since 1994.

The cork is a seal, a small detail that makes a big difference. That’s why the choice of this product, which is an important part of the wine bottle, is made with great care and attention by the manufacturers. A cork is required not to interfere with the liquid content in the bottle, to seal and preserve its integrity, to be preserved over time without giving way to the aggression of external agents and thus compromising the quality and the excellence of wine.
How many responsibilities and functions packed into one, "small" cap!
We interviewed Mauro Bacci, in charge of the provinces of Verona and Vicenza for the Sardinian cork factory Ganau, single cork supplier for Farina.
 
Who is Ganau?
Founded in Sardinia in 1941, Ganau is today the largest manufacturer of corks in Italy. Family business, active in the field for three generations, Ganau decided to focus on sustainable and innovative production techniques, with the aim of producing wine closures with excellent performance and to enhance the cork as a renewable resource. Over the years the production has also expanded outside the Italian borders to ensure quality corks to all producers in the world: the other headquarters are Montijo in Portugal, Epernay in France and Sonoma in California.
 
How are the corks made?
The production of cork begins in the forest with the extraction of the planks, which are subsequently brought from the various sites in the company's storage courtyards. Here a selection of the planks is performed, separating the cork dedicated for the production of one-piece caps (calibrated), the cork used for the production of washers (thin) and the waste cork (sugherone and grinds), not usable in the production of corks but destined to building. In the storage courtyards also reserved for the production of cork stoppers and washers, the cork is cleaned up and the planks thus prepared are finally arranged in neat piles, to face the curing period, which lasts about a year.
After the curing period, the cork is subject to boiling in a steam autoclave and cut into stoppers or washers. Stoppers and washers are then subject to TF treatment in steam autoclaves to reduce the content of volatile organoleptically active substances, after which they are dried and brought to standard hygrometric conditions, to be subsequently smoothed on the surfaces, till the achievement of the necessary or requested dimensions.
At this point each type (one-piece, washers, agglomerates) follows separate and distinct processes. The one-piece caps are bleached, and subjected to an opto-electronic selection followed by a manual selection, and finally dried. Similarly the washers, after the grinding step, are rinsed with an aqueous solution of peracetic acid and then subjected to electronic selection, following which they converge in the production line of agglomerated stoppers with washers and sparkling wines caps.
Meanwhile, the waste from the production of one-piece caps and washers, converge towards the shredding plants where they are processed into granulates and thus in agglomerated corks.
The caps are ready: missing only the stamping, namely marking, with fire or inks, with the customer logo or with a generic logo, followed by lubrication and finally by packaging.
 
What is your relationship with Farina?
I represent Ganau, a cork factory among the most important ones at national and international level, in the provinces of Verona and Vicenza. Currently Ganau is the cork stoppers supplier for Farina, in addition to also provide other products and materials.
 
When did you start collaborating with Farina?
I started working with the company Farina in the mid-nineties. Our relationship started from a previous working partnership for the supply of other materials. Since we proposed as suppliers of cork stoppers, we are the only suppliers of corks for the company. From the professional relationship, a friendship and a mutual esteem feeling flowered, especially with Claudio, with whom I speak frequently. I know almost all the Farina team for years.
 
What does it mean to be a provider for a winery?
I’ve been working in the wine industry since 1989. Being a winery supplier and in particular being the only provider of certain materials is a big responsibility because with our product, the cork, we risk interfering with the quality of wine and ruining all the work done by the winery and everything relating to the investments made in the vineyards, in personnel, in research.
 


How do you approach the producers to convince them to buy your product?
The key to convince a customer is transparency. It is important to know the cork production process and all the checks that are made. For example, there’s an experimental study on olfactory systems, a sort of "electronic noses", that smell every single cap to find and eliminate defects and maintain those without defects. They are expensive investments both in money and time, but they are needed to be able to convince customers to buy our product. What we want to convey is the tranquility and the guarantee of a quality product, always trying to improve it with the utmost care.
 
How would you define the company Farina?
It is an energetic company that is facing a period of innovation and development. Claudio and Elena have given an important input and an exact address to the product quality and organization of the company. This is demonstrated by the investments made both in the real estate sector both in human resources. It is a company willing to grow and improve and is one of the most active in this regard.
 
You have experienced an evolution between the old and the new generation, what can you say about it?

Farina has always been a reference for the Verona area in the wine sector. Who led the company's business was able to change the production according to the current demands. In the previous generation, there was the ability to give life to a product that reflected the features required in those years, while the new generation, Claudio and Elena, has been able to improve and make the necessary changes to make the company available and appealing internationally. In this moment it is essential to invest abroad in a market of a certain level as the Italian market is no longer sufficient to sustain a business.
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