In May 2026, Isolcork acquired 50% of Ecoprox BV and built a production facility in Belgium. The move closes a six-year gap: direct access to Northern and Central European markets that were demanding local presence for Spray Cork.
For years, from architects in Munich to construction firms in Zurich, the demand was constant: our products arrived late, technical support was remote, and delivery times were incompatible with European operations. It wasn’t a product problem. It was a geography problem. Isolcork had the technology to serve Europe. What we lacked was presence.
In May 2026, we stopped being absent.
Why Isolcork Needed More Than a Distributor in Europe
Isolcork already operated globally. Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, the United States. Distributors in each region. But Europe is a different market. Not because of size, but because of operational demands.
European builders expect local certifications, nearby production capacity, and technical services with physical presence. Architects need proof of Spray Cork performance in European climate conditions, not data from Arizona or São Paulo. Regulations in Germany aren’t the same as in California. A remote distributor, however competent, doesn’t solve that.
Beyond that, raw material access changes entirely. Cork comes from Portugal. Producing in Belgium eliminates six weeks of logistics. For a customer who needs Spray Cork in 15 days, that’s critical.
The decision was clear: Isolcork needed its own plant in Europe. The question was how to enter without building from scratch.
The Strategy: Acquiring Installed Capacity
Ecoprox BV had operated since 2015 in sustainable materials with an established distributor network across the Benelux, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and England. They had relationships with major construction firms, regulatory expertise, and access to European logistics. They had everything Isolcork needed, except cork and rubber processing technology.
Isolcork saw the opportunity: acquire 50% of Ecoprox and bring machinery, know-how, and formulations from Quilicura. It wasn’t a startup acquisition. It was integration of existing operational capacity.
How We Operate in Europe Since May
The Belgium plant started production in June 2026 with equipment shipped from Santiago. Technical inputs come from our hub in Quilicura. Raw cork material is imported directly from Oporto — four hours of transport, not six weeks.
From Belgium we serve the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It’s not a warehouse. It’s a production facility that manufactures Spray Cork to Isolcork specifications, with technical oversight from our Chile team.
An architect in Vienna now speaks with us directly. A project in Berlin receives Spray Cork in one week. Performance testing is done locally, with European climates, European results.
For Isolcork, it means access to 450 million potential customers in markets that six months ago were telling us no because of logistics.
The Scaling Model
This is our approach to international expansion: we don’t open offices. We acquire or partner with local operators who have distribution, regulatory compliance, and existing relationships. Isolcork provides technology and operations. The partner provides geography and market access.
We’ve done it in Latin America. We did it in the United States. Europe is the confirmed next step in our global scaling plan.
Asia requires a different strategy. The Middle East, another. Each market needs a specific entry point. Isolcork doesn’t want to be everywhere. We want to be where we say we are. In Europe, we already are.
