Leather bags, accessories and sheepskins made from vegetable-tanned leather from Swiss raw hides.
MARAI @ G. Neuenschwander Söhne AG
Oberdiessbach (CH) · Zurich (CH)New on Amplifa
About MARAI
MARAI is a project of G. Neuenschwander Söhne AG in Oberdiessbach, a traditional hide trader and skin tannery with over 150 years of history in the Emmental. The company utilizes goat and sheep skins as well as hides from cattle from organic, biodynamic and regenerative agriculture, which would otherwise be burned as a by-product of the food industry. The skins are collected and preserved and then vegetable-tanned in the South German tannery Renz (founded 1888) using extracts from woods, barks and tree fruits; chrome-free tanning was trialled with a partner tannery in Portugal. In small manufactories in Switzerland, Germany and Portugal, leather bags, belts, wallets, sheepskin cushions and clothing are made by hand from this leather. All materials, production sites and manufactories are located within a radius of 150 kilometres; sales channels are the online shop and an atelier/showroom in Zurich.
- Site
- Oberdiessbach
- Processes
- Vegetable / plant-based tanning (leather production), Chrome-free tanning, Preservation and storage of skins and hides (skin tannery/hide trading), Manufactory production of leather bags and accessories by hand (sewing), Cutting of leather, Handcrafting of leather bags and accessories in small manufactories, Collection and preservation of hides/skins (via G. Neuenschwander Söhne AG), Vegetable tanning at partner tanneries
- Materials
- Goat leather (Swiss goat skins), Cattle leather (organic, biodynamic, regenerative), Sheepskin (Swiss sheepskins), Lambskin, Vegetable tanning, Chrome-free tanning
- Industries
- Fashion / Accessories (leather goods), Home textiles / Home accessories (sheepskins), Sustainable consumer goods
- 01
Collection and preservation of hides and skins (G. Neuenschwander Söhne AG,
- 02
Vegetable tanning at partner tanneries (Renz tannery, southern Germany;
- 03
Cutting of the leather
- 04
Manufactory sewing of bags, accessories and clothing (Switzerland,
- 05
Distribution via online shop and atelier/showroom Zurich
Materials & Processes
Goat leather (Swiss goat skins)
From skins of goats from small farms in the Emmental, Jura and Ticino; by-product of milk production.
Cattle leather (organic, biodynamic, regenerative)
From hides of animals from organic farming, vegetable-tanned.
Sheepskin (Swiss sheepskins)
For cushions, seat pads, fur collars and home textiles.
Lambskin
Baby lambskins of Swiss origin in the shop range.
Vegetable tanning
Tanning with plant extracts from woods, barks and tree fruits at the Renz tannery (since 1888).
Chrome-free tanning
Trialled with a tannery in northern Portugal for fine, light goat leather for clothing.
Locations
Oberdiessbach
CHAdministration, collection, preservation and storage of skins and hides (G. Neuenschwander Söhne AG)
- Lot size
- small quantities
- Materials
- Goat and sheep skins, cattle hides (organic)
- Skin warehouse
Zurich
CHAtelier / Showroom (VOCK10, Schipfe 10)
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetable / plant-based tanning (leather production)Surface | – | – | – | – | Goat skins, Sheep skins, Cattle hides (organic) |
| Chrome-free tanningSurface | – | – | – | – | Goat skins |
| Preservation and storage of skins and hides (skin tannery/hide trading)Surface | – | – | – | – | Goat and sheep skins, Cattle hides |
| Manufactory production of leather bags and accessories by hand (sewing)Assembly | – | – | – | small quantities | Organic cattle leather, Goat leather |
| Cutting of leatherMachining | – | – | – | – | Leather |
Additional services
History
- 1850er
Founding of the tradition of G. Neuenschwander Söhne AG as hide trader and skin tanner in Oberdiessbach; after the end of the regional leather industry in the 1950s, the fur trade receded into the background.
- 1861
Marie Engel married company founder Gottlieb Neuenschwander; MARAI is an anagram of Maria and a homage to the entrepreneur known in the vernacular as 'Engel-Marei'.
- 2021
Launch of the MARAI project to utilize goat and sheep skins that would otherwise be burned.
- 2023
Visit to a tannery and manufactory in and around Porto (Portugal); first test of chrome-free tanning.
- 2024
Launch of the first products made of organic cattle leather (Minimal Tote Bag, Organizer with edition e).
- 2025
Presentation of the Simplicity line (belly bag, backpack, shopper made of vegetable-tanned cattle leather, hand-sewn in the canton of Bern) and first garments, including leather trousers, with a partner in Portugal.