Wet Salted Hides & Skins From Annecy, France, Wet Blue Hides & More

How Hide Processing Works

The tanning of leather and hides is one of mans most antique activities.
Its origins date back to the time when primitive man understood that the value of an animal did not only lie in the possibility of obtaining food. Our prehistoric ancestors used the furs of large mammoth to make simple garments that protected them against the adverse weather conditions.

Nevertheless, if not treated the skins of the animals soon begin to decompose, rot and release unpleasant odours. Therefore our ancestors found ways to stop this natural process, to avoid that their garments became useless, if not even insufferable. By leaving the skin in the sun for a few days, they became rigid and hard, but the unpleasant odour disappeared.

A significant prehistoric advancement was fumigation. The skins were used as construction materials for tents and huts. The smoke produced by the fire favoured the preservation of the skins, increasing their resistance to the elements. This method was widely used by the American Indians for their typical conical tents.

During medieval times, the tanners improved their organisation.
They concentrated in areas in which the raw materials (hides, access to water) were abundant. South America has been the largest supplier of unfinished leather to Italy and Europe for more than 300 years.
No significant changes in the gathering and preservation of hides were made from medieval times up until the 17th century, but the advancements made in the speed and effectiveness in the preparation processes of unfinished hides in the second half of the 20th century, were of vital importance for the development of the industry, especially in brine curing, in which a solution of water and salt is used to treat the hide, as well as the use of enzymes and other discoveries.

In the recent past, the gathering and processing of raw hides curbed the best practices of a rural type activity, transforming it into a modern and efficient industry. Today, research and development are brought together in a systematic process aimed at maximising the advantages offered by this important natural resource of leather and hides, reducing to a minimum the environmental impact.