Jack Millington and Rory Harker, founders of Billy Tannery, the first kid leather microtannery in the UK
Billy Tannery to launch the first ever British kid leather products using goat hides left over from the UK food industry
Billy Tannery is a new British leather brand founded by two entrepreneurs, Jack Millington and Rory Harker, both aged 28, from the Midlands, which makes products from kid goat leather that is tanned in a small-batch tannery or ‘microtannery’. The Billy Tannery website goes live today ahead of a product launch on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in May 2017.
Billy Tannery began when founders Jack and Rory discovered that, due to the growth in demand for goat meat in the UK and the decline of the British leather industry, there were thousands of hides going to waste. Now, having partnered with ethical goat meat supplier Cabrito, Billy Tannery use the leftover hides to produce premium vegetable tanned kid leather.
Billy Tannery is launching a range of luxury kid leather bags and accessories that are designed and handmade in Britain. It is the first leather brand of its kind in Britain, with a vertically integrated supply chain from hide to final product. Jack and Rory’s goal is to put an end to the waste of British goat hides by tapping into the rich leather heritage of the Midlands area. The first range of Billy Tannery products launches on the crowdfunding site, Kickstarter, in May 2017.
Billy Tannery founder Jack Millington said, “Despite the clear link between meat and leather, the topic is often uncomfortable and rarely discussed. In a time of increasing interest in provenance, our partnership with Cabrito allows us to trace our leather all the way back to the farm.”
More information can be found at www.billytannery.co.uk
- Billy Tannery was founded by childhood friends Jack Millington and Rory Harker, both 28 and from the Midlands. They have worked in the marketing and design industries in London since university, but have always dreamt of starting a business together
- The first range of Billy Tannery products will include notebooks, a card holder, a briefcase, a tote bag and a backpack. Product images coming in mid-April 2017
- Cabrito Goat Meat was founded by James Whetlor in 2012. Cabrito won an Observer Food Monthly Award (2014) for Best Ethical Producer, Good Housekeeping’s Champion Meat Producer (2016) and the Young British Foodies Meat Award (2016) and is a finalist in the Radio 4 Food Programme Food and Farming Awards 2017. (www.cabrito.co.uk)
The first range of Billy Tannery products will include notebooks, a card holder, a briefcase, a tote bag and a backpack