Cork is harvested from the bark of the Cork Oak Tree that is found mainly in Portugal, Spain and Southern Mediterranean countries.
Using hand tools, great skill and plenty of manual labour, cork is stripped from the living tree once every 9 years.
Under Portuguese law the Cork tree is protected and entire forests are safeguarded to protect their future yields, and the local industry they support.
With each harvest the Cork improves in quality and trees have been known to live for as long as 300 years, which means some of the first trees that were harvested commercially are likely to still be alive.
This short clip gives a great insight into how Cork is harvested.
