THINGS ARE ALMOST NEVER BY CHANCE

Indeed, I am convinced that things are never, or almost never, by chance. Specifically, I want to refer to two different situations, in which I think I can demonstrate it.

• For 6 or 8 years, our advisers for the purchase of cork in the field, always indicated to us that, in general terms, the cork from the Sierra de San Pedro, was the most famous and the one that best met the specifications, that we were already needing. Also, it was almost always the most expensive. But still, accepting the higher cost, it took us time to have the first harvest of that cork in some of the “famous” farms.

Over the years, we have been meeting people from the area who have been recommending to us the ways and customs of how we can make the name of our small company known and remembered as a stable buyer of this special product.

For this, we could say that “water must have something, when it is blessed.”

• With the second question, I would like to explain and justify that the greater recognition of our brand each year is not due to chance. Nor would it be correct if we blame everything on our constant interest in improving our product based on researching it and also the wines we are going to bottle.

But, if we combine personal effort, that each year our raw material is better, it is clear to us that it is not a coincidence.

We will put as an example something known by almost the entire cork sector. The name López Montenegro, joined in Extremadura among other things, to a family with a tradition in the region, serious and with recognized prestige in its cork farms in the Valle de Castellanos.

It is true that in 2017 we were about to close a contract with one of the different farms that this family has. But we believe that, due to lack of experience, in the end it could not be.

The Spanish saying says “you have to have friends, even in hell.” I would also say “you have to have friends even in the Sierra de San Pedro and better still, in the Valle de Castellanos”, because, precisely a friend, introduced me last year to Don Antonio Pérez de Herrasti. In the end, the person in charge of managing the CALABAZAS Estate owned by Doña Mª Emilia Pellón López Montenegro.

And, from the presentation, to the signing of the contract, it took no more than 15 days. Finally, we had the cork from a farm in the well-known Saga and famous Valley.

During the year of curing process in our yard, the analysis of this cork has been perfectly correct, like most batches.

And now I tell you the reason why we understand that things are not by chance here either.

We have started the work of the cork, when our technical department has advised that it was the best moment.

The result is totally satisfactory and covers our expectations very well. We are convinced that, in the next year, our customers will also notice it.

As it seems logical (at least to me), I have called Mr. Pérez Herrasti to comment on our feeling and, together with the gratitude for the call, he tells me that it is natural, since this cork has been awarded for more than a century.

 And, in fact, this is demonstrated by the diplomas that I received and which were awarded to an ancestor of the family, Don Pedro López Montenegro, in various exhibitions (photos of the aforementioned are attached):

• “EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE DE PARIS EN 1878”.
• ” EXPOSICION REGIONAL EXTREMEÑA DE 1892″.
• “AT THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION HELD IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO IN THE YEAR 1893″

With this demonstration, it is clear to me “that things are almost never by chance.”

And, if to our fight to achieve excellence, we add a bit of luck, we can say to close this article that, another friend has introduced us a few days ago to Ms. Mercedes López Montenegro, relative of Mrs. Mª Emilia Pellón López Montenegro, owner from the Finca LA COVACHA bordering CALABAZAS, both in the Valle de Castellanos  and therefore in the Sierra de San Pedro.

Therefore, and since things are almost never by chance, this year we will have in our yard, the cork of two farms in the famous Valle de Castellanos owned by the López Montenegro family, CALABAZAS and COVACHA.