Genaro, better known as “The leather tanner” or “El curtidor artesano”, is the first protagonist from our Natural Curiosity Blog.
He has been tanning leather by hand since chillhood in Sta. Maria del Páramo, small village in Leon (Spain). The tannery, since 1887, inherited from father to son in five different generations. Genaro learned how to be a tanner from his ancestors, using the same tools and techniques as they used to, always in a vegetable way (eco-friendly, no chemicals involved). Genaro is passionated with his work, naturally curious, and authentic as a person. “If I have to leave my tannery, I will have to go with my feets in front of me” he used to say, and we love to feel his passion with this kind of quotes.
The raw
The raw, most used in the tanneries of Santa María de el Páramo, was the skin of cow and calf, which transformed into leather, in its various forms, such as: leather sillero, vaquerilla leather and calf leather for soles. Also they used to work with sheep ang goat skins. The process begins with the salty. After salty process, the skin should moisturize, for which is uses the process of ribera, immersing the skin in water. After these process prior, the skin is introduced in the drums of tanning, where is performs the tanned properly said. In these drums he introduces the skins next to a series of extracts plant of trees with great amount of tannin, as are: the quebracho, the mimosa, the acacia and formerly the oak. We can say that we do an ecological tannery, because we use very low–pollution natural products.
Our leather is called “type English”. The stretched of the skin is made by hand with woodand metal (bronze and steel). The drying of the skin is made in the corridors of the factory, being a completely natural drying. The ink, for dyeing of furs, is made with a formula that it has passed parents to children, which gives it some unique features and is one of the secrets of this alchemy. The finishes of the skin are also very specials and set us apart from the other tanners.
All these tasks make this leather something unique.
Genaro is definetly a #Cafelier.
