We were nearing the end of that day’s journey. Truth be told, exhaustion was setting in. Exploring Portugal and taking in so many wonderful sights had been thrilling. Yet, we cannot ignore our sore feet and aching backs. Our final stop before calling it a day was a cork factory just outside the town of Évora, Portugal.
Portugal provides about half of the world’s supply of cork. It comes from the spongy, water-resistant bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber). The tree grows in a legally protected forest in the Alentejo region.
Harvesting the cork is a process. The tree has to be at least 25 years old before the first bark can be harvested. High grade cork for wine stoppers comes from 40 year old trees. Harvesting the bark can only happen every 9 to 12 years to allow for regrowth. Each tree has a life span of around 150 to 200 years.
I believe the cork factory is family run, I may be wrong. The guide, who showed us around the factory, is the son of the “boss” operating the sales computer in the office. It was funny how the guide interrupted our tour by saying.”opps, sorry guys, my mom wants me to help her with the computer. I’ll be back, quick!”
We saw how an artisan was carving the barks. The tour guide said that there are only 2-3 artisans who were qualified to cut the barks. The carving process eliminated the damaged portions, cut it into usable pieces, and subjectively classified the barks according to grade.
Cork-lined baseball caps was the hottest item flying off the shelves. The smile on the tour guide’s face was followed by, “tomorrow, everybody will be wearing cork caps!”
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Sounds like you need a vacation from your vacation! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cork oak tree before. Wild to hear about the harvesting process and that the tree has to be at least 25 years old before the first bark can be harvested. Sounds like you’d have to be really patient and organized.
We were more than halfway through our multi-city tour of Portugal. Waking up early in the morning, walking all day, and sleeping late in the evening eventually was taking its toll. We were ok. We just needed to sleep/rest and stay hydrated.
I did not mention but harvesting the cork reminded me of a rubber tree plantation I once visited. It followed the same cycle of harvesting and restoring the tree.
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