Friday, October 28, 2011

What $1000 Looks Like

Last week Shane Gray of Graywolf Rods and I were talking on the phone and he mentioned that he had just placed an order and that it had cost him a grand to get the quantity and quality of cork that he needed for the anticipated builds over the next few months.

I had asked Shane to send me a photo of what $1000 worth of cork looks like and it's surprisingly a small amount.  A lot of money is invested in three gallon sized bags filled with cork rings of various sizes.


For custom builders and fly rod companies a like, the availability of high grade cork has become tougher to come by the past few years.  Blame it on the wine industry, the fact that it takes a dozen years or so between harvests on a cork tree, or the natural fluctuations in the cork market itself.

It really makes you think about the cost of what goes into a fly rod made in a custom shop or a factory operating in the states.

Follow along with what Shane does with this cork on the Graywolf Rods website, Facebook page, and Blog too.

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