All Screwed Up: Why it’s so Hard to Find Cork and Other Materials

Nowadays, it’s beginning to seem like there is a shortage of more products than we can count. Whether trying to find toilet paper at the beginning of the pandemic or trying to find your favorite items at your local restaurant, more and more products are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Unfortunately, the same can be said for many materials in the wine and spirits industry, but not always for the reason that you think.

Cork

Cork is the perfect example of a product that has become less common. Therefore people assume there is a shortage. The fact of the matter is that there are enough cork trees to last another century. So if that’s not the problem, then what is? At the end of the day, it’s all about cost. Many companies in the 90s began switching to plastic corks to save money. Due to this change, it has become rare to find traditional cork stoppers. Some might insinuate that wineries began to convince people the world was running out of cork to justify the cheaper product.

However, we will find with all these products that no matter how much of the material is available, shipping it to the United States has become increasingly difficult. 

Glass

Glass prices have risen significantly, making it an implausible choice for bottling companies. Some bottling companies have resorted to asking customers to bring their own glasses in exchange for incentives. Some of this is due to glass production warehouses having to slow production during the pandemic. However, as stated before, tariffs on shipments also play a major factor in the availability of glass. 

Aluminum

Aluminum has been directly affected by several scenarios. First off is a reason you may directly be part of, which is the rising popularity of canned seltzers. From La Croix to White Claw, the demand for aluminum cans has risen exponentially. Second, the difficulty in acquiring glass has made bottling companies shift to other alternatives. One of these alternatives is aluminum cans. The third reason that affects all of these materials is the cost and availability of shipping containers. 

At the end of the day, though shipping tariffs play a prominent role in some of these shortages, the main issue is that there is no place for the products to go upon arrival. This is where warehousing solutions come into play. Warehousing gives suppliers a place to store their materials while waiting for trucks to transport the materials domestically. This is why Dream Logistics is the perfect solution for your storage needs.

So schedule a consultation with us today to see how we can help get your materials where they need to go.