Partnering with Farmers AND hUNTERS To sow the seeds of sustainability against ingrained disposability.
We are passionate about partnering with farms and hunters across the USA to turn their Bio-waste by-products into Madison Avenue quality leather and products. By tanning these hides, Pergamena is helping to close the gap of material waste in the modern nose-to-tail cycles by ensuring that nothing goes to the trash for lack of a skilled artisanal processor.
Pergamena is now accepting small hide reservations for -deer, goat and hair sheep- for our Fall 2024 Traceable Batch. Scroll down to start your small hide tanning journey.
We are pleased to announce that starting in March 2024, Pergamena will be offering Farms the chance to turn their cow hides into Traceable leather goods that can be sold to increases a farms bottom line and its outreach. Our objective is to to foster a community of farmers and artists in creating an affordable, sustainable and traceable line of leather and goods that tell the story of all the hands that worked on it. This is the “Beginning to Bag” traceable story.
If you are a farmer who would like more information about turning your cow hides into finished leather goods to sell, please email Liv@Pergamena.net for more details. We look forward to helping you tell your farms story.
Scroll down to learn more about our Traceable Leather Program and to see the story behind your bag.
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.
Not everyone has five centuries of tanning knowledge.
But Pergamena does!
Our mission at Pergamena is to use our five centuries of knowledge and our unlimited passion to help creators unlock the true potential of parchment and leather.
If you are getting your hide tanned and returned to you as bespoke leather, simply choose what you want from the three categories below. Then get ready to feel like an accomplished tanner with multiple centuries under your veg tanned belt.
Hide Categories
Large Hides
Cow, Buffalo, and Elk
Small Hides
Sheep, Goat, Calf, Deer and Alpaca
Exotic Hide
Please contact us for more information
Color Options
Undyed Black Plum Saddle Brown Moss
Thickness
Leather is fantastic for a variety of projects, and different thicknesses -or weights- will help you to achieve different goals. Splitting your leather to reduce its thickness makes it easier to create detailed projects like wallets and book covers. Keeping it thicker gives it more shape and body, making it perfect for area rugs or belts.
Small Hides
Generally available in 3 & 4 oz
● 3-3.5 oz / 1.2 mm - Best suited to small leather and case goods, crafts, small upholstery applications, and bookbinding projects.
● 4oz / 1.6 mm - Best for larger applications like bags, purses, and backpacks where some body in the leather is helpful.
Large Hides
Generally available in 3 & 8 oz
● 3oz / 1.6 mm - Best for larger applications like bags, purses, and backpacks where some body in the leather is helpful.
● 8oz / 3.2 mm - Most useful for applications that need rigidity or padding, like belts or as a durable bottom for a tote.
Actual finished weights will vary from animal to animal based on the hide's original thickness and quality.
Finishes
Empire
Empire is a waxed veg tan leather, preserving the natural character and grain of the hide while adding durability and creating rich, deep colors with warm tones. Empire is available in all animal types, and the surface and feel can be adjusted based on individual requirements.
Pictured above is Pergamena’s Undyed Empire Goat Leather
Hudson
Our Hudson line is vegetable tanning at its purest, offering a completely natural surface that will patina and wears beautifully and quickly as the leather gets handled. Character, markings, grain, and varied hand feel are all expected with this unadulterated look. Available in all leather types.
Pictured above is Pergamena’s Undyed Hudson Goat Leather
Frequently Asked Questions
&
How To Prep A Hide For Tanning
How Do I know I’m getting my exact hide back?
You wouldn’t be sending us this hide unless it was meaningful to you. We want to honor that meaning and get that exact hide back to you. When your hide arrives at our tannery we stamp it with a custom mark that is attached to your information. Since we tan, dry, dye, dry again and soften all by hand we are able to see your hides mark and trace its journey through our tannery. When your deposit is paid, you will be assigned an individual mark. That way when you get your hide back you will know that this hide is yours.
When will I get my hide back?
Depending on the type of hide and what you want done to it: the whole process normally takes around 4-8 weeks until it’s returned to you.
What happens once I send my hides to Pergamena?
Once each hide is received, it is inspected for any issues, then marked for identification and entered into our system. We then send you an email confirming your order as it is written on your Tan and Return Order Sheet, Then we begin the process of turning your raw hide into leather. To see how we do this, check out this short video. Click Here As soon as your hides are completed, we will ship your custom leather to you so you can start creating something fantastic.
How much does it Cost?
Pricing is based on several factors: the type of hide, what you would like done with it. Splitting, dying and finishing is included at no extra cost. Return shipping is calculated based on your order's final weight and the distance it travels. For a quote, please complete our Tan and Return Request Form.
When does my Hide need to Arrive?
Your hide should arrive at the tannery the month before your batch is scheduled to run. If your hide arrives after the scheduled start time for your batch we will hold your hide until we have another batch scheduled. Due to demand and depending on hide type this may take a couple extra months.
What Colors, finishes and Oz are available?
You can choose to either leave your hide tanned but not dyed or you can have it dyed a different color after tanning. Most hides when tanned are a toupe or a tawny color. While it's beautiful when left undyed it's up to you if you want to change the color. We will be offering Black, Plum, Saddle Brown and Moss at no extra cost. For an added fee you can choose from all Pergamena’s standard colors. We will also offer the option of having your hide split to 3oz (1.2mm) at no additional cost. As well as the option to have your hide Hot Rolled to make it flat and somewhat shiny, again at no additional cost. Our classic waxed Empire Finish can be done at an additional cost.
How To Prep A Hide For Tanning & Shipping
Prepping a hide is a crucial step in the process of crafting leather; since the resulting material is only as good as the state it arrives in. Two of the biggest issues we see when hides come to our tannery is either a problem with improper skinning or salting. Issues with bacteria growth and large/many cuts diminish the usable square footage and quality of the leather. So it's very important to make sure the hides are well dressed (skinned) with as few butcher cuts as possible. We recommend having a professional or someone with experience dress your hide. Proper trimming and skinning hides is an art form, and the fewer cuts and meat and fat, the better. If you have any questions please email Liv@pergamena.net
How To Salt A Hide
Lay the hide out flat with the hair side down. Try to find a place that is not exposed to the elements in the shade, is protected from pets and other animals, and is not too hot. (Cooler temperatures will help to prevent hides from degrading quickly.)
Skins/hides should be freshly salted using kosher or similar coarse salt.
DO NOT USE FEED GRADE OR IODIZED SALT — these which contain mineral additives for animal diets that can stain hides.
DO NOT USE ROCK SALT —the hide doesn't have enough moisture to break down the large crystals.
We recommend either Cargill Top-flo granulated or Hay & Stock Salt, which is inexpensive and abundant at livestock/feed stores. It takes about one pound of salt per pound of hide. Don't worry, it is impossible to over-salt a hide, but you can under salt it, so always air on the side of caution.
Let the hide lay out flat, hair side down, for 1-3 days somewhere where hides can drain well. The salt will pull the moisture from the hide as it preserves it. Cover any bare spots with more salt as the hide absorbs the salt. Be careful when leaving the hide out in the open (direct sunlight will dry the hide out too quickly. Rain can wash the salt away, which means starting the process again). After 3-5 days, the hide should be dried out enough for shipping and can be folded up and placed in a water-proof bag or container.
Hides sitting for more than one season will likely become too dry to properly rehydrate and process, so please send them no later than the end of the season that they were slaughtered in; otherwise, the hides may be unusable.
Avoid temperature conditions that allow bacteria to rot and destroy the skin. Even hides packed in large cardboard boxes on pallets and then placed in cold storage still risk significant damage as hides are good insulators. Pallet boxes are large enough that the center of the package will not sufficiently cool down to avoid bacterial damage, even in refrigerated trucks for several days! Storing hides in a freezer then defrosting and salting is fine if you are collecting multiple hides before salting and shipping them to us.
Once you have your hide salted, drained and wrapped up in two plastic bags; simply place it in a cardboard box and ship it to:
Pergamena Attn: Tan and Return
11 Factory St Montgomery NY, 12549
We recommend adding a print out of your invoice or your name, order number and return shipping address on a slip inside the box when shipping your hide to us; as this helps us to confirm the hide that arrives matches your online order.
As long as your box isn’t leaking and is traveling from within the continental US; sending us the hide through USPS or Fedex works. While you do not have to send your package overnight we recommend shipping it where its travel time is less then three days and scheduling it to arrive at our Tannery Monday-Friday. You can always drop your hide(s) off at our tannery if you call or email ahead and schedule a drop off.
Want to get started on your Tan and Return journey?
Next Step: Complete our Tan and Return request form linked below.
Still, have questions? Reach out to us for help!
