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 tanned in their small-batch tannery or ‘microtannery’. Billy Tannery went live on Kickstarter on Wednesday this week and smashed its funding goal in just 6 hours. The campaign continues until 22nd June with special introductory prices in return for pre-orders.
Billy Tannery founder Jack Millington said,
“We have been staggered by the amazing support that we have seen for our crowdfunding campaign so far. With the initial target passed we are going into production, but there are still lots of rewards left so you can still get involved. It’s a great sign for the future of British kid leather, but this is just the start!”
Link to Kickstarter: http://kck.st/2ro5rPt
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 British goat 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 in their new tannery near Northampton.
Billy Tannery launched 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 launched on the crowdfunding site, Kickstarter, on 24th May 2017.
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.
Even pre-Brexit, the increase in demand for British made products has been widely reported by The Guardian, Reuters and The Manufacturer.
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.
Dr Kerry Senior of the UK Federation said, “UK Leather Federation is delighted that Billy Tannery, the first new tannery in the UK for many years, is now operating. This new venture highlights the great potential for growth and development of the leather industry and is a welcome addition to the high quality leather manufacturers in the UK.”