The Traceable Tanning Process:
The “Beginning to Bag” Story
The Beginning
This story starts with you. A product with a “Beginning to Bag” story lets your customers know what they are buying is not only stylish but USA-raised, produced, and created with intention. However, the final product can only be as good as the raw material itself. We recommend you employ an experienced processor to ensure as little damage is done as possible to the hide.
Salting and Shipping
“As much as fresh meat needs salt,”* once a hide has been removed by a processor, it is covered in salt to preserve and safeguard it from rotting before it reaches our family tannery. It takes around one pound of salt per pound of hide. It is impossible to over-salt a hide, but you can under salt it. So always err on the side of caution and pass the salt. Don’t worry, we provide a salting and shipping guide to help you navigate this part of the process.
* from the ancient fairytale, Cap O’ Rushes
Receiving
When a hide is received it is inspected for any issues, then it is marked with your farm's traceable code. Once your hide(s) —and your order— are entered into our system, we send you an email confirming your order as it is written on your Tan and Return Order Sheet. Once you confirm the details, your hide has officially started the process of becoming leather.
Tanning
At Pergamena, we specialize in vegetable tanned leather. There are multiple tanning methods, but the two main methods are veg-tan and chrome-tan. For environmental reasons, we have chosen never to practice chrome-tanning and instead focus on the ancient and beautiful art of veg-tanning. Click here to learn more about this ancient process.
Finishing
Whether you like a natural, un-dyed look or you want to turn heads with our Electric Blue, pick a color and finish that speaks to you. Leather is fantastic for a variety of projects; however, different finishes and weights will help you to achieve different goals. While our team can help you pick out the best thickness, color, and finish for your project, the choice is ultimately up to you. So pick a color, finish, and weight that feels right to you. But as always we are here to help so let us know if you have any questions.
The “Bag”
Bags are just one way this part of the story can end. No matter if in the end you create small leather goods, luxurious handbags, or even some comfy leather chairs its the just the beginning of the story for your customer. When we send your customized leather or products back to you, we include a certificate of “Traceable Authenticity.” Along with information about our unique tanning process that you can share the materials story with others. We are passionate about partnering with independent farms to assist them in creating value-added leather products from their own harvests as well as helping intentional creators make products from material they trust. With our multitude of customizable options and your farm’s own materials, creating a traceable leather line is now easier than ever. This is just the Beginning.