Building a Leather Export Business from 3 Machines to 80

Building a Leather Export Business from 3 Machines to 80

The challenge: I entered the leather industry with no background in it. The export market was dominated by large manufacturers who were also tanners. They could offer very low prices, which made it hard for a small new factory to compete.

What I did: I learned the material first. I visited tanneries to understand how raw skin becomes finished leather, and learned to tell sheep, cow, goat and buffalo leather apart by grain. I started small and low-risk, with three second-hand machines, making handbags from leather scrap. I ran the whole process: pattern making, cutting, stitching, lining, quality control, dyeing, packing and air shipment.

Moving into garments and export: I added new machines and stitched garments for large exporters. This gave me steady work and trained staff without heavy risk. Then I went into direct export. With a US importer as partner, we bought a complete 60-machine set-up, reaching about 85 machines, of which at least 80 were always in working condition.

How we stood out: Instead of competing on price, we offered unique, colourful garments sold under our own brand, SANZZINI. European buyers first wanted plain one- or two-colour designs, so we kept exhibiting at leather fairs in France, Hong Kong and Germany until buyers accepted them. We also exported leather scrap to Hong Kong and China and mobile covers to Korea.

The result: Over about five years, a handbag workshop grew into an export factory with about 150 workers and 80 working machines. We exported garments to the USA, UK, France, Germany, Denmark, the UAE and Australia, plus leather scrap to Hong Kong and China and mobile covers to Korea. A small start-up competed against large integrated manufacturers by choosing a different product and building buyer trust.