Blogs from Sao Bras de Alportel, Algarve, Portugal, Europe

We visited the Novacortica cork production factory. Very interesting! This factory is one of nearly 600 in Portugal. It is considered a medium-size factory. It is a 3rdgeneration family business and currently has 43 employees. Each factory specializes in a certain area of the cork production. This business makes only discs and granules that are used in the production of champagne and wine stoppers. More than 60% of cork is used in stoppers. Portugal produces nearly 50% of the world’s cork. Cork comes from a cork oak tree that is all over Portugal. We saw many of them as we drove down. Harvesting: · First harvest after 25 years. Because of its irregularity, it is used in flooring and insulations, etc · Second harvest after the next 9 years, still not of production quality, is used ... read more