Local Leather Collaboration Is A Lesson in Sustainability Written by Katilin Hill
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local collaboration between Kinloch Farm in The Plains and Larkins Leatherworks in Marshall is a lesson in sustainability with some seriously stylish results. “Mike approached us because he knew we were local. When we said we were interested, he just wanted to know how we wanted the leather,” shares Maryalice Matheson-Thomas, owner, operator, and leatherworker at Larkins. In February, Mike Peterson, the farm and conservation director at Kinloch Farm, approached the Larkins team about using leather hides left over from Kinloch beef production to make bespoke handbags, coasters, bookmarks, and more.
“There is a whole lot of the animal that can still bring a lot of value, whether intrinsic or economic, that we were missing out on,” Peterson explains. He adds, “We were at the point with our local slaughterhouse where the rendering company wasn’t taking our hides. We were having to pay a hide disposal fee.” For Peterson, the ability to use the whole animal or as close to it as possible was not only motivated by economic opportunity, but also community involvement. “How can we not just get more of an economic return, but involve more community partners and local businesses to highlight our farm, our animals, the way we do
things and why we do it?” He continues, “We’re raising these animals in an ecologically conscious manner. Let’s extend that beyond our meat into leather production.” The path from hide to handbag starts at the farm where the hides are cured and dried, which is about a two-week process. After the curing salt is removed, “we wait until we get a good-sized shipment to go up to a tannery in New York.” Though the tannery isn’t local, it has a long legacy in the business and, perhaps more importantly, environmentally-friendly practices that match the Kinloch Farm standards. Peterson Collaboration | Page 35
Left: Maryalice L. Matheson-Thomas. Middle: Kai Holle. Right: Andrea Currier, Mike Peterson, and Bobby Doane of Kinloch Farm. Photos by Joanne Maisano.
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middleburglife.com
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OCTOBER 2023