Cork Quality Council Email Format
Beverage ManufacturingCalifornia, United States2-10 Employees
The Cork Quality Council is a small nonprofit organization based in Forestville, California, founded in 1994 to support the cork and wine industries. Its work centers on establishing and enforcing standardized quality practices for natural corks, including audit-based adherence to quality standards for cork shipments entering the U.S. market, sometimes involving third-party testing. In collaboration with ETS Laboratories, the council developed a chemical screening method for TCA, enabling detection at extremely low levels and guiding cork producers to improve wood and cork production practices. These efforts have led to a substantial reduction in TCA presence in cork shipments since the screening program began in 2002, and the council continues to monitor results and update standards to promote ongoing quality improvement. The organization primarily serves US cork producers and associated stakeholders within the beverage manufacturing industry, aiming to ensure consistency and reliability in cork quality for wine packaging.