M.A. Silva USA is a cork, glass, and packaging supplier for worldwide markets. Company President Neil Foster established the business in 2000 with Manuel Alves Silva (owner of M.A. Silva Portugal, a family-owned and operated business based in north Portugal). “I worked in corks for six and a half years before cofounding M.A. Silva USA, and Manuel’s family has been in the cork business for 45 years,” says Foster.

“Our customers tell one another about the quality of our products. That’s how we become known.” —Neil Foster, M.A. Silva USA

M.A. Silva USA tests, prints, finishes, and distributes natural wine corks for customers in the U.S. and beyond. “We provide the best quality products and the best customer service. In 2010, we began offering wine bottles,” says Foster.

The company sources the highest quality of raw material it can find. “M.A. Silva USA has also invested in new technology,” he adds. “We use our gas chromatography [GCMS] in-house to verify results. We do individual testing for Trichloroanisole [TCA, also known as cork taint]. We created a new, patented cleaning process called SARA Advanced that significantly reduces phenolic compounds and eliminates off flavors.” The company audits and verifies its test results with an outside lab to ensure its data are accurate.

M.A. Silva USA’s 100,000-square-foot facility in Santa Rosa, Calif., mainly serves customers on the West Coast, but “also businesses in the rest of the U.S., as well as Mexico and Canada.”

Foster says M.A. Silva USA’s staff never stops looking for ways to be helpful and responsive. “We like to find out what our customers want to accomplish with their brand. The wine business is extremely competitive. It takes a team to succeed,” he says, adding that the reputation of a company like M.A. Silva comes primarily through its customer base. “Our customers tell one another about the quality of our products. That’s how we become known,” says Foster.