Our Story

Hi! I’m Joana, I grew up in Portugal. My story starts here...

It all started a long time ago, before any of I was even born, in a small village in the north of Portugal, named Santa Maria de Lamas. Back in the 20s, Maria and Manuel Rocha decided to open their own cork factory to produce corks for port wine bottles. These were my great-grandparents. Manuel would produce the corks and Maria would transport them to Vila Nova de Gaia by donkey to some of the most popular Port wineries. Their entrepreneurial mindset worked and soon, my grandpa, Joaquim, joined the business, when he was only 12. And, of course, my dad, Fernando, right after graduating high-school.

Growing up, my dad used to say that the hardest and most fascinating aspect about the cork industry was the extraction itself. All the cork extraction is done manually with traditional tools, minimizing the environmental impact and improving the health of the tree. It takes care, love and many years of experience. Cork is his life’s passion, his happy place. His love for the craft made me fall in love with it too.

Cork also helped me fall in love with the environment, nature and sustainability. It has been in my family for many generations and I am excited to share nature’s gift with the rest of the world.

Hi! I’m Amanda, I grew up in New York. My story starts here... 

I have always been passionate about animals but it was not until I got my dog Gus did I realize I wasn’t compassionate towards animals. What I mean by that is that I always said I loved animals until one day someone said to me, “you do not love animals, you love pets, if you loved animals, you would not eat them”. After some soul searching, education and light bulbs turning on, I decided to go vegan. It was a pivotal point in my relationship with the world. This was just the tip of the iceberg. 

One thing led to another and I realized my passion for the Earth was as strong as how I felt about animals. Consumerism is devastating to the environment, from how materials are sourced, the amount of energy it takes to produce goods and the packaging required to safely and correctly transport these items, it very quickly adds up to a lot of waste for a small product. 

I became obsessed with being educated about my purchases and reading the About Section of each product I purchased online to see if the companies I was supporting financially were responsible. It's a privilege to be able to share these treasures with you!