As a result of COVID-19, iconic local brand Mdina Glass has seen its glass furnaces turned off for nine months this year, the longest in its 52-year history.

“Keeping the furnaces (oven) on 24/7 is an immense expense, and one we could not sustain,” Mark Warner, Marketing Manager from Mdina Glass told the Malta Business Weekly.

He said that 2020 has indeed been a challenging year for all businesses at Ta’ Qali crafts village. “We rely heavily on tourists, and even coach loads coming directly from the cruise ships who want to experience Mdina Glass making first-hand. Of course, this year there was none of that”. Warner also explained that many locals enjoy coming to site as well as school trips and as a non-essential business they were not able to open.

When restrictions eased the company decided to stop production and not reignite the furnaces as the demand for the famous glassware wasn’t there along with the number of visitors to make it a viable option. “Never in our history have our furnaces been off for so long, occasionally we would turn them off for maintenance, but nothing as extended as this” Warner said. “We have been able to get through this challenging year with the various support schemes available.”

Read the full story on The Malta Business Weekly.