Additional pictures of the Cork processing visit.

 

The large pile in the back ground is to be used for cork products, not bottle stoppers

 

This is a pile of cork from the first or second harvest from a tree. Not to be used for bottle stoppers.

 

 A very large pile of cork. Most of which will end up as bottle stoppers!

 

A shot showing the stacks of cork with the steamers in the background.

 Here's the cork after having been cleaned. Note how flat it has become The cork is allowed to cool for several days before any other work is done.

 

This is the first step in the punching of the disks used for champagne corks.

The scrape material is collected and used in a furnace to heat the water for the steam systems. Cork disks on there way to the sorters.

 

These electronic sorters use a camera and computer system to automatically sort the disks.

Each bin is a different grade of disk after being sorted. Lots and lots of disks!
A basket to collect the disks

 

Each disk is evaluated electronically and the best 'bad' side is branded.

 

This pile of material is on its way to China to make the cork ends for badmitten birdies!