Jelinek Cork Group introduces new logo

After many years with the same logo, the Jelinek Cork Group of companies has come together with one unified logo. This logo symbolizes many things:

1. The tree represents the cork oak tree – the source of cork.

2. The tree also represents nature and the environment – issues JCG cares deeply about.

3. The tree branches represent deer antlers and the Jelinek name. In Czech, the word “Jelinek” means “little deer”.

4. Finally, just as cork is stripped off the tree and then regrown, so are the antlers of a deer – they are shed each year and then regrown.

The logo was created by Michal Macko, a graphic designer in Bratislava. Korok Jelinek in Slovakia created a project/competition for the University of Graphic Design in Bratislava. The theme of the competition was to create a logo and corporate identity for JCG. The students were provided with all the information about cork, the company and the history of Jelinek. About 15 students participated and their final work was evaluated by professional architects & designers, as well as the Jelinek teams in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Michal Macko was the winner – he was provided with a financial reward and the University was provided with financial donations as well as cork for future projects.

In May of 2008 the logo was approved and accepted at Jelinek corporate headquarters for worldwide use by all members of the Jelinek Cork Group of companies.

Interesting uses for cork - #1

I am going to begin a series of entries about interesting uses for cork. There are many, many, many uses for cork - some we all know and some are rather unique. Some we, at Jelinek Cork, never even know about until we receive the request for a specific type or size of cork. When we ask what it is used for, we are often amazed with yet another use of cork.

Use #1 - Entertainment/movie/theatre industry: "Cork Dirt"

Granulated cork, or cork grain, is often found in the entertainment industry as a substitute for dirt or sand. It looks like dirt yet without the weight/suffocating traits. Cork grain can be dumped on the ground to give the visual appearance of dirt or sand - perhaps that beautiful sandy beach seen on TV is actually a cork beach! It can be used when someone or something is "covered in dirt". Various sizes of cork chips are also used in mock explosions to simulate flying shrapnel - obviously these are much safer for the actor to encounter than actual shrapnel.

Cork grain is actually the waste product of the wine cork manufacturing process. Wine corks are punched out of strips of cork bark. The bark not used for stoppers is ground up to create granulated cork.

Another Use: Though not cork grain, cork pads are used on the bottom of shoes so the sounds of footsteps are not heard when filming.

Though you should never try any of these special effects at home, know the next time you watch a movie containing dirt, it could very well be cork.

Creatures of the cork forests

If you've read some of our other blog entries, then you probably know the cork we use in wine bottles and on our floors and on our walls is harvested from trees - the cork oak tree. These trees grow in forests throughout the Mediterranean including Portugal, Spain, southern France, Italy, and northern Africa. Cork trees flourish in these areas due to the very specific micro-climates and soil types of this region. Along with the cork trees come a variety of plant and animal species that are dependent on these forests for continued survival.

Some of the mammals that call these cork forests home include hares, weasels, wild boar, deer, wolves, mongoose, genets, and endangered species such as the Iberian lynx and Barbary deer. Some birds that live in these regions include kestrels, little owls, great grey shrikes, black storks, imperial Iberian eagles (also endangered), kites, black vultures, robins, thrushes, chaffinches and woodpeckers. Other fauna include geckos, skinks, spadefoot toads, spiders and vipers.

In terms of plant species, cork forests have one of the highest levels of plant diversity in the world. According to panda.org (WWF's website), plant diversity in cork forests can reach 135 species every square metre. Some of these plants include fungi (some edible), lavender, rosemary, and rockrose bushes. Many of these plants are endemic to this region and exist only because of these trees.

So cork is much more than a wine stopper or bulletin board. Its much more than a floor tile or wall covering. It is even more than a renewable resource. Cork, and more specifically the trees it grows on, is home to a plethora of species of flora and fauna.

Jelinek Cork booth at the Green Living Show

Back in April, we exhibited our products at the Green Living Show in Toronto, Ontario. What a great weekend! All of us at Jelinek Cork are passionate about cork and its many, many benefits therefore, we love to talk about it. So all weekend long, that's what we did - talk about cork! Feel free to visit our website or contact us if you missed us at the show or if you'd like more information about the many uses of cork.

Below are some pictures from the show.

A customer tale - choosing a floor

With flooring, as with all home decor, there are many choices and many things to consider. Below is an email we received from a customer explaining her decision to go with cork flooring as well as her experience with Jelinek Cork...

When deciding upon a new kitchen floor we considered the ecological perspective as well as the aesthetic when making our choice. After many months of looking at “faux” hardwood, matching our existing oak strip flooring throughout the house, bamboo or the cheapest alternative roll flooring to simulate the look of cork. We then decided to visit Jelinek's Cork House in Oakville [Ontario]. That was it, our decision was made. We found Santiago Select Line, a perfect solution that tied our kitchen look together and was eco-friendly. When Aimilios, Jelinek’s installer, came to measure and discuss the project we were very impressed with him and asked specifically that he do the work. Amilios is a craftsman, not an installer, and he did a marvelous job of cutting around all the nooks and crannies of our 1960’s kitchen, working cleanly and carefully. He came when he said he would, cleaned up the site each evening and finished when promised. We have been telling our friends and showing off our wonderful floor as we enjoy it every day.

Thanks again for a great job, well done.

Suzanne

Santiago Select Line Cork floor tile

Jelinek Cork Group

"The Myth"

Guest blog by: Sonny Jelinek, VP Jelinek Cork Group

I talk (or think) about cork all day, everyday. I have for years. Explaining the process of the cork harvest and how the bark immediately begins to re-generate has always made me feel good. The tree isn't cut down and typically lives a full life of 200-500 years with a new cork bark harvest occurring more-or-less every 9 years. What a fantastic process! A fully sustainable natural material.

Cork extinction?
Why then, over the past few years have people started telling me that we should stop selling cork due to “a shortage” of cork? Over the weekend, at the Green Living Show in Toronto I talked to hundreds of people and time-and-again the question was the same: “isn't cork going extinct?” Some people were outright hostile accusing us of destroying the environment by promoting cork. I was waiting for picket signs to appear asking for a cork boycott.

In fact...
The reality is quite opposite. The environment will be harmed unless cork products are used. This goes back to the fact that cork is a renewable resource and the cork trees from which the product is harvested are not cut down. If cork products are not used the farmers who own the cork forests will be forced to either convert the forest for other agricultural uses or more likely to sell the land for property development. Cork trees that cover large areas of land in the Mediterranean region will be cut down if there is limited demand for cork products. This will destroy the carbon dioxide filtering function of the trees as well as the habitat. The World Wildlife Fund says that “cork oak forests support one of the highest levels of biodiversity among forest habitats, as well as the highest diversity of plants found anywhere in the world.” [1]

Why the myth:
Winemakers started using synthetic corks as well as screw caps in the 1990's. Some of this occurred at a time when there were forest fires in Portugal. Although forest fires are a natural part of any eco-system the combination of these two situations propagated a myth that there was a cork shortage. It is my belief that winemakers initially began using synthetic wine corks to reduce the incidence of cork taste that occasionally occurs in wines. Curiously, there have been studies that show that cork taint is still occurring despite the use of synthetic stoppers and screw caps. That means that it's coming from elsewhere [2]. As consumer acceptance of synthetic stoppers began to take hold, winemakers decided to take it a step further and add product cost reduction to the mix. Screw caps became a household reality. Screw caps are made from a metal top and plastic liner – a very synthetic alternative to a natural product. I find this ironic since most other industries are at least attempting to use more natural product packaging. Before 1990, nearly every wine bottle was closed with real cork. Since the innovation of the wine bottle real cork has been used to close billions of bottles of wine. Yet now, despite society's awareness of threats to the environment we are rejecting nature. As winemakers continue to embrace synthetic closures and screw caps the myth of a cork shortage or extinction continues to be propagated. Cork forests continue to be vibrant but face a threat. The solution to this threat is to use products made from cork. By using cork you are helping to preserve a most diverse and important habitat and making the world a better place in which to live.

Permission to reprint provided the author is credited and notified.

More information:

World Wildlife Fund
Audubon Society

Korek Jelinek plays football (soccer)?

Korek Jelinek in the Czech Republic is successful in more than just the field of cork. The Korek Jelinek football team is having a great season and a lot of fun too!