SkyeSkyns is a business born from crofting and a passion for transforming a meat industry waste-product into durable and luxurious sheepskins using the traditional craft of tanning.
A 5 star visitor attraction, built on the family croft in Waternish 40 years ago, they fly the flag for sustainable industry and rural agriculture with their educational tannery, two shops, Yurt café and growing online business. They also source and retail other sustainable products, made primarily in the UK, supporting like-minded small companies.
A key local employer, they are committed to stocking highest quality sheepskins, wool and leather goods whilst journeying towards NetZero.
Four years ago, they embarked on a journey to enhance key aspects of their production and supply chain. Transforming their tanning process, moving from mineral tanning to eco-, tree-bark-tanned skins. Their tanners rediscovered and refined their craft to suit this new methodology with huge success; producing beautiful and completely natural sheepskins with a fabulous story.
Through online sales events and match-funding, they fundraised for a local woodland project with 600 native trees planted this past Spring on their croft. With a vision to plant one tree for every eco-tanned sheepskin that they produce. Aiming to both help minimise their carbon footprint and to support the local fauna and flora to thrive with improved biodiversity. Wanting the native trees they’re nurturing to grow symbiotically with their traditional crofting activities, improving land management.
This year the business is focused on their sheepskin supply chain. Their aim is to create a fully traceable product and develop circular economies directly benefitting both animals and producers. Investing in forging contacts and working directly with crofters, breeders and farmers to source raw skins. This will ensure both a more plentiful supply, full traceability and completing the sheep farming cycle.
In line with this ethos, they’ve designed a complex reed bed system for their tannery effluent, with the resulting matter being compostable and used to fertilise the woodland project.
One of SkyeSkyns founding principles was always to build opportunities in this economically fragile part of the world. And with 25 local employees, they have recently become a living wage employer of choice in the area. They proudly promote their rural community from their beautiful part of the world and advertise local businesses wherever they can. Collaborating with other Skye-based businesses and makers, from local printers, builders and suppliers, to local bakers and locally-roasted coffee for their catering.