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Cork Production in Portugal

Project type

Documentary

Date

April 2025

Location

Portugal

This is a documentary project about how wine corks are produced in Portugal - journey from the tree to the final product, the cork.
This project takes place in Alentejo (south interior of Portugal, were the cork is extracted from the oak), and in Santa Maria da Feira (north of Portugal, where the cork factory I documented, Sedacor, is based).

Cork oak forest – the bark (cork) is extracted from the tree.

Extracted cork from the oaks.
They are pilled up during months to dry and lose most of the rounded shape.

The worker is cutting the bark in large strips, where the wine corks will be extracted from.

Next phase, the shaping
and sizing the wine corks.

Waste from the processed cork strips.
They will be recycled into new corks.

Waste cork strips get granulated to be compressed and form recycled corks.

Recycled corks made from the cork granulate.

Part of the fabric where the recycled corks are made.

Hand-picking and selection of the imperfect corks,
which are being taken out of the rolling tray.

At the final stage, the corks are tested for the right weight,
consistence, and pressure, making sure they fit well in the
neck of the bottle, and preserve the wine in
the best way possible.

The final product – wine labeled corks,
ready to be sent to the clients.

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