Push into India is no longer optional, says world’s largest cork maker Corticeira Amorim

Mumbai: Portugal-headquartered said its push into India is no longer optional and is critical to the company’s future, underscoring how the world’s largest cork maker is pivoting toward one of the fastest-growing spirits markets amid sluggish global demand.

“This is where the growth is. This is where global companies must be, and this is absolutely crucial as a vendor to the spirits industry. We cannot survive without being in India because this could be the next big hub for spirits in the world,” chairman Antonio Rios de Amorim told ET.

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Over the past few years, domestic companies from and Amrut to global firms such as Pernod Ricard and Diageo have increasingly pushed pricier offerings, from single malts to premium blends. This trend has helped Amorim build a strong foothold at the top end of the market, where cork closures are associated with higher-quality products. The company, which accounts for 70% of the global market share for , said it holds as much as 80-90% share in India’s single malt segment.

Amorim, which supplies to industries such as aeronautics and construction and bottle stoppers to the wine and spirits industry, is recalibrating its India strategy from a narrow focus on luxury single malts to a broader push into the prestige segment, a market estimated at about 100 million cases annually. While this marks a step down in pricing, there will be a sharp step up in volume, the chairman said.

“While we continue to hold our pioneering leadership in the luxury segment, we now make an entry into the prestige segment and address that 100 million cases market,” said Sandeep Arora, founder of Spiritual Luxury Living, which partnered Amorim for its India marketing and distribution a decade ago.

To do that, the 150-year old Amorim is launching new products such as Clicork, which combines a cork bar-top with tamper-evident features while retaining the tactile “pop” associated with higher-end spirits, Arora said. The aim is to compete more effectively with cheaper alternatives such as aluminium screw caps without diluting margins.

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The company is also preparing to localise part of its supply chain. At present, cork is sourced from Portugal and partly assembled in India. But as volume scale and tariff pressures persist, Amorim is evaluating local partnerships that could eventually lead to manufacturing in India.

“Market first. The investment will come straight after. We are not here for the short term,” Amorim said, signalling a phased approach tied to demand growth.

It takes each cork oak bark 25 years before it can be stripped for the first time and more than 40 years on average before the tree starts producing cork that can be used commercially.

Amorim also downplayed the risk from geopolitical disruptions, even as wars, trade tensions and supply chain shifts reshape global business. The company has operated through two world wars and multiple political cycles, Amorim said, emphasising that such volatility does not alter its long-term strategy. “We will adapt to the circumstances with one determination. We want to be present in India,” he added

The move comes as India emerges as a rare bright spot in global alcohol consumption. While the worldwide spirits market volume fell roughly 2% in 2025, India expanded at 5%, driven by increasing incomes, urbanisation, a younger legal-drinking population and demand for higher-quality products, particularly in whisky, the country’s dominant category.