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What is Cork?

Unlike money, cork does grow on trees. In fact it is the bark of the cork oak (Quercus Suber).

These beautiful trees grow all over the rolling plains of the Alentejo in Portugal. They take thirty or forty years to reach maturity, but live for hundreds of years. They are now a protected species – it is illegal to cut them down or damage them.  

Cork is obtained by harvesting the bark of the tree without cutting it down or otherwise damaging it. New bark grows back in place of the old and can be harvested again every nine or ten years. (To find more, go to www.realcork.org)

The raw cork is then pressed and treated.  Traditionally, it was made into blocks, from which bottle corks and other items could be cut. Nowadays it is possible to make extremely thin layers of cork which are mounted in a patchwork on a fabric backing, making an extremely light, flexible material, which is also very hard-wearing. Almost any object that could traditionally be made from leather can now be made from cork.

 Cork is:

- light;
- flexible;
- hard-wearing;
- waterproof;
- easy-to-clean;
- environmentally friendly.

CorkyCraft products are naturally Portuguese: made in Portugal out of 100% natural leather, sheepskin and cork from local sustainable sources, straight from the manufacturer to your home.