WHAT IS CORK ?
The cork oak, Quercus suber, grows in the sunny south of Portugal, Spain, and North Africa. Portugal accounts for more than 50% of the world's total cork production. It is the climate and soil types of this region that keep the trees growing.
This remarkable tree has a bark which is unique throughout the plant kingdom. The cork bark can be 'stripped' off allowing new bark to grow in its place. This makes every tree a source of raw material. The cork can be cut from each tree time after time. This is termed cork harvesting.
The first crop, known as virgin bark, is cut when the tree is 25 years old. It can then be 'stripped' every nine years generation after generation for 200 or so years. A tree that is 80 years old can produce 200 kilos of cork when cut.