At Driftless Tannery, we didn’t go to school for forensic science. But in a way, our work as tanners often feels like stepping into that role.

Bethany Storm prefers to work behind the scenes. Telling stories and sharing knowledge is what she enjoys the most about the business.

Danielle Dockery is the voice on the other phone when you call Driftless Tannery.

Sheep production in the US is increasing. We will do all we can to capture and make use of this byproduct of the sheep industry. We champion the usefulness of naturally tanned sheepskin in its most natural state as a sheepskin rug or throw, or with the help of other creatives using the oldest known textile to create useful household goods and clothing.

There are many benefits to using mimosa as a leather tannin, most notably, mimosa provides a consistently soft and easy to dye leather.

Icelandic make beautiful, iconic sheepskin. Very Viking with their wispy long fibers. They also happen to be one of the more finicky of all sheepskin to tan.

What if we could create a place here in the Driftless where we can tell the story of traditional, sustainably crafted sheepskin to a wide audience by designing a workspace that is conducive to tours with large viewing windows into the tannery operation and a gathering space for educational programs?

We have been back from the UK for about a month now. Our trip was everything we had hoped it would be. Our only regrets are that we didn’t make the trip sooner and that we weren’t able to stay longer.

There are two main causes for greasy leather: improper cure and an older, fatty sheep. The former can be avoided, the latter cannot and may not become evident until the last stage of our process.