A century-old memoir sparked an extraordinary real-life quest that led Serge Arnaudiès to the tallest cork oak ever recorded. Hidden in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, this ancient tree—now certified by Guinness World Records—became Arnaudiès’s life’s mission to protect.

Wine Business Monthly has recognized Patrick Spencer, Natural Cork Council Executive Director, as one of its 2025 Wine Industry Leaders—recognizing his critical role in securing the tariff exemption that protected natural cork from sweeping import duties.

Insulating, sound-proof, lightweight, good-looking: the bark of the evergreen oak Quercus suber has been used for millennia as a construction material.

Made in Phoenix, green cork spray is an exterior coating similar to paint. Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree. According to Green Cork Products Founding Partner Randy Bailey, cork is 100 percent natural and recyclable. Green cork spray is a sustainable, more cost-effective alternative to cement-based stucco. 

Using advanced engineering and special design techniques the Värmdö kayak (named after the largest island in the Stockholm archipelago) uses a cork agglomerate material* specifically designed for composite applications requiring strength, lightness, thermal insulation, and vibration control.

Prized for the lightweight, elastic bark, cork oaks can also store large amounts of carbon during their long lifetimes. Now there are moves to find new uses for this material.