Cork 101

"Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree, quercus suber, which grows mainly in the Mediterranean region. The bark is a vegetal tissue composed of an agglomeration of cells filled with a gaseous mixture similar to air and lined with alternating layers of cellulose and suberin." - apcor.pt

A typical tree produces several hundred kilograms of cork at each harvesting and will survive for many generations. 

Cork is harvested on a sustainable basis and the stripping of the bark does not harm the tree in any way. The bark grows back completely, taking on a smoother texture after each harvest. 

A cork oak tree can be safely harvested up to 20 times during its life cycle, making cork a truly inexhaustible natural resource. The bark is stripped off the tree in sections by highly skilled men using special axes, a traditional manual skill that dates back many hundreds of years.

The material is mostly grown in Portugal (70%!) and it is dust and stain-repellent, anti-bacterial, washable and waterproof – which makes it wonderful for housewares and everyday accessories. 

One of our favorite products are our "Cork Wine Cooler" which is a mixture of cork and walnut hardwood. It’s a beautiful transformation of the cork bark and the tree. Our love of white wine and rosé in the summer created this product. What better way to keep your delicious drinks cool than with our all natural wine coolers? The properties of the cork naturally help the wine keep its cool. Tested to keep your wine cool for up to four hours. 😉

 Another favorite cork product that we have is our Hand-turned cork hanging planters. They were were designed for indoor use. These planters were inspired by vintage planters from the 1970s. We choose to use cork for this piece because it is naturally porous, making it an ideal material for plants. Each planter has a shellacked interior and is finished on the outside with natural beeswax.

Check out more of our cork products here to see how Cork from a Bark made its Beautiful Transformations!

Information sourced from: Green Building Supply