Two years after crowdfunding the launch of their goat leather micro-tannery, Billy Tannery is back on Indiegogo. The farm on which the tannery is based has been unexpectedly sold and the British company needs £18,000 to cover construction of a new facility and relocation of tannery equipment. 

“We have spent the year designing and developing a new range of products and have begun production,” the campaign says, “but then we heard some unexpected news. The farm that our micro-tannery is located on has been sold and we have been given notice to leave.”

The campaign closes in the evening of Wednesday, 23 October. As of Tuesday morning, Billy Tannery had raised £14,175 from 116 individuals (called “backers”). Backers are rewarded with perks – discounted prices on products, such as wallets and bags, or classes, including one in micro-tannery and goat cookery. 

Billy Tannery was started by founders Jack Millington and Rory Harker, who left London jobs in marketing and design to address what they describe as “the terrible waste of goatskins going on in Britain”. According to the company, they went from knowing nothing about leather production to building a team that makes goat leather goods out of the thousands of goatskins previously wasted by the UK food industry.

Despite the challenges inherent in building a goat leather company, Billy Tannery describes moving the micro-tannery as “our biggest challenge yet”.

Image: Billy Tannery