While we are not bark tanners in the purest sense, we may continue to use the language we do in our elevator speech. It is simply the easiest way to get the point across to those who only have a few moments to hear our story. To those of you that follow us more closely, we want to be clear that we do not consider ourselves bark tanners.

Attendees came from all over the world from New Zealand, North America, Europe and the UK. We shared one thing in common; our reverence for the heritage craft of tanning.

The slower, more predictable pace of summer at the Tannery suits us all quite well.

Elise Morris grew up close to the land. Three generations of her family worked a farm together in her early years.

A true multi-tasker, Tricia always has something going on and seems to juggle everything with curiosity and grace.

When Driftless Tannery was little more than a concept, Joyce wanted in. She asked Danielle monthly how she could help.

Hiring Jon was an easy decision. His artistic vision has really helped to shape how we finish the hides. His knowledge of machinery has helped us build and maintain all the pieces of equipment we have.

When we first sat down to discuss opening a natural tannery our goal was to mechanize traditional methods. We were naive enough to believe we could improve the process of brain tanning with equipment.

When Driftless Tannery was just a concept, we sought the advice of both Soil Sisters and WFU members. We asked them if they felt a natural tannery was a worthwhile undertaking. They answered us with a resounding, yes!