WINE CORK RECYCLING SERVICE BUSINESS PLAN

I. Executive Summary

Company Description

The company, founded for a 2026 U.S. launch and headquartered in a major U.S. wine hub, operates in the environmental services sector with a focus on wine cork recycling for hospitality businesses. We sell a subscription-based, turnkey service that includes specialized collection containers, scheduled pickup logistics, and vetted upcycling partnerships that convert used corks into marketable products. One-liner: we turn spent corks into a measurable sustainability and marketing asset for hotels, restaurants, and tasting rooms.

Core activities include deploying branded collection stations, managing regular route logistics, auditing diversion performance, and coordinating with upcyclers to close the loop. We target mid-to-high-end hospitality operators in wine regions who value sustainability as a guest experience and marketing differentiator. Short-term goals: onboard 150 subscribers and prove 12-month diversion metrics. Long-term goals: expand regionally, license standardized collection programs, and integrate diversion reporting into clients' sustainability disclosures. One-liner: scale a repeatable subscription model that monetizes waste diversion through client-facing sustainability outcomes.

Problem

Hospitality venues generate a concentrated, non-biodegrading waste stream of natural wine corks—billions discarded annually in U.S. landfills—because current waste systems prioritize mixed recycling and organics, not specialized cork recovery.

Founded for a 2026 U.S. launch, our B2B subscription service addresses the unmet need for turnkey cork collection, storage, and upcycling logistics; without it venues face regulatory and customer pressure, on-site operational pain, lost material value, and reputational risk. One-liner: hospitality venues need an efficient, scalable cork-recovery service that current vendors do not provide.

Solution

Each year billions of wine corks end up in U.S. landfills because hospitality businesses lack the specialized infrastructure and time to recycle them, which increases their environmental footprint and frustrates sustainability targets.

We provide a subscription-based, turnkey cork collection service for hospitality businesses: branded-looking collection containers, scheduled curbside and on-site pickups, sorting, baling, transport logistics, and delivery of processed cork to certified manufacturers—removing operational burden and producing documented landfill diversion. One line: we make cork recycling effortless for hospitality operators.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to eliminate wine cork waste in the United States by giving the hospitality industry the most accessible and impactful recycling solutions. We build a circular economy for natural materials, repurposing cork to reduce landfill impact and enhance client reputation. We commit to innovation in logistics and transparent environmental impact reporting so businesses can operate more sustainably and prove it.

Key Success Factors

Success depends on cost control, logistics, partner outlets, retention through marketing and impact data, and hitting the planned breakeven date.

• Maintain low CAC: reduce Customer Acquisition Cost from $450 to $325 by 2030.
• Control logistics: keep transportation costs below 7% of revenue by Year 5.
• Secure upcycling partners: maintain strong relationships with manufacturers for consistent material outlets.
• Drive retention: retain customers with co-branded marketing assets and verifiable impact data.
• Reach breakeven: achieve financial breakeven by October 2026.

Financial Summary

Key financial outcomes for the Wine Cork Recycling Service over the first three years.

Financial requirements: minimum cash $263,000 (minimum cash month: Feb-27); breakeven in Oct-26 (10 months after launch); payback in 40 months; annual marketing budgets start at $180,000 in 2026 and rise to $300,000 in 2028.

Outlook: Revenue and EBITDA scale rapidly; profitability begins in 2027 with rising cash generation through 2030.

Funding Requirements

Raise $778,000 to fund product, IT, fleet, containers, branding, office fit-out and a $263,000 working-capital buffer; breakeven Oct-2026; IRR 3.69%.

Financial snapshot: Year 1 revenue $644,000; Year 5 revenue $4,088,000. 2026 EBITDA loss $228,000; 2027 EBITDA $252,000; 2030 EBITDA $2,017,000. ROE 3.72%.