Azaruja Cork Factory

We have seen cork oak trees everywhere on our trip so far. Trees whose bark has been stripped leaving an almost black trunk whose thick spongy bark will grow back in time. In Portugal, the felling of cork trees is prohibited by law and each tree is individually identified, in order to ensure its absolutely traceability.

On our way home from Elvas, we stopped in at a cork factory and a man gave us a little talk and tour of his families enterprise.

This area, the Alentejo, is known for its cork as well as its wine. Besides just wine stoppers, cork can used for many things, from bulletin boards to floor tiles to umbrellas and purses. It is pretty remarkable as it is spongy and pliable and water resistant.

The tree, a type of oak with acorns that black pigs eat, is about 10 m tall with a wide canopy and a very knotty trunk. It grows well in this area of sandy soil and dry heat. After 25 years, the tree is mature enough for harvest. The outer bark is carefully stripped from the trunk using a special hand tool. It takes about 9 years for the bark to grow back and then it is harvested again. The tree can keep producing for 100 years. Six months after harvesting (to dry the bark), the cork bark is boiled to soften in up and flattened it. Then machines can cut it into desired shapes or punch out bottle stoppers.

So far, the cork industry is doing just fine, even though plastic corks are being used now. Wine consumption has gone up so it hasn’t really affected the industry in Portugal yet.

We recently heard though, about a bacteria that came on Lavendula plants that has started to damage cork oak trees near Lisbon. Hopefully, scientists can figure out a way to control it soon.Read more