Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber L.)

100 percent natural, reusable and recyclable, cork is, whether from the environmental, social or economic perspectives, one of the world’s most versatile materials. It takes each cork oak 25 years before it can be stripped for the first time and it is only from the third stripping (at 43 years of age) that the cork, th…

Due to its generosity, the cork tree becomes the main reason for countless thriving villages and communities all over the Mediterranean.

Over one hundred thousand people in southern Europe and north Africa directly and indirectly depend on these forests, according to the WWF. These forests are a perfect example of the balance between preserving the environment and sustainable development - just the fact that no tree is felled during the stripping of the…

What is stripping?

Stripping is the ancient process of extracting the bark of the cork oak - the cork. Today, this work is still done by specialised professionals, with absolute precision, who use just a single tool: the axe. This delicate operation takes place between May and August, when the tree is at its most active time of growth an…

Why is cork stripping the highest paid agricultural work in the world?

It is due to the high level of expertise necessary to harvest the cork without damaging this precious resource.