Kima

Established in Porto in 2009, Kima design with natural materials such as cork. Their ethos is to raise the awareness to the environmental benefits of products made with natural products and developed to contemporary technological processes.

The great thing about cork are the natural benefits inherent in this sustainable and eco-friendly material.

KIMA DESIGN WOODEN HOUSE PAPERWEIGHT

Kima Design paperweight made from cork with slots for notes or envelopes

KIMA DESIGN CORK HOUSE PAPERWEIGHT

Kima Design Paperweight made from wood with holes for storing pencils

KIMA DESIGN WOODEN CUBE PAPERWEIGHT

KIMA DESIGN SIMPLE RULER

KIMA DESIGN WOODEN RAINBOW PUZZLE

KIMA DESIGN CORK CUBE PAPERWEIGHT

KIMA DESIGN LAPTOP REST

KIMA DESIGN MAGNETIC RULER

Cork helps prevent asthma

Cork is formed of a unique cellular structure that doesn’t absorb dust. This means cork is hygienic and hypoallergenic, helping to protect against allergies such as asthma. Children are at particular risk to asthma because their airways are small.

Cork is light, wear & moisture resistant

Corks natural honeycomb structure makes it resistant to impact or friction. Its natural memory means cork will bounce back and maintain its form.

Over 50% of cork is made of air, which at 0.16 grams per cubic centimetre is a light material to handle. Its a soft and warm material to touch due to corks natural thermal properties.

Cork is formed of small moisture-resistant compartments named suberin and ceroids. This means, unlike solid timber that will expand and warp, cork is impermeable to water.

Cork harvesting

Cortiça – Quercus Suber – is the bark of the cork oak. It is removed from the tree by ‘stripping’ or prising the bark with axes.

Carried out every 9 years, a cork tree can live for 150 years.

Once removed from the tree the cork bark is stacked in the open air for around 6 months before it’s put to use. Cork not used for wine stoppers is broken down to a granular form and used to manufacture a wide range of products from flooring to toys and design products.

The harvesting of cork is a highly skilled and labour intensive process handed down between generations.

The cork industry is a backbone to Portugal’s rural way of life, supporting some 9,000 direct jobs and at least 6,500 indirect jobs.

The local cork industry and agroforestry system encourages people to settle in local communities and thus halts the depopulation of these communities, encompassing the industries of livestock, beekeeping and production of aromatic and medicinal plants and mushrooms.