Today we took a 1.5 hour tour of a nearby cork factory, Novacortica. It was founded in 1986, and employs about 75 people. The company buys cork which is harvested every 9-10 years from the cork oak trees that grow only on the Iberian peninsula. In fact about 60% of the cork in the world comes from Portugal! A cork tree has to be at least 43 years old before the cork can be used, so naturally the cork industry is a family business, spanning generations. Also, there is no waste in the production of cork, as any large pieces are ground into small bits which are then glued together and used to make bottle corks for red and white wine and other products.
Novacortica produces cork granules and cork discs that form part of corks used in sparkling wine produced in France, Spain, and Italy. Beware....we'll be able to bore you with details about the cork from every wine bottle you open in our presence! Another product, produced elsewhere, is cork skin, a thin layer of cork laminated to other materials used in designer purses, umbrellas, and furniture coverings. We sat on sofas in the lobby of the factory that were beautifully covered with cork upholstery.
Our tour guide was a charming young man, Gianluca, originally from Italy, who moved with his family to Portugal at the age of three. His background is tourism, but he's really an excellent teacher with a great sense of humour and good language skills.
Sent from my iPad.
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