Press Cuttings

"Bespoke ceramics, evocative music playlists, handmade leather aprons – we may not always notice them, but these are the things that make eating out magical."

"For this episode of our 5 Minutes On podcast, our cost of living correspondent Kevin Peachey has been to meet Jack Millington, the 'hipster' tanner who makes wallets, and says there is still a market for them."

"Billy Tannery is another brand to watch, sourcing leather from culled deer (the pest of the British countryside) and goats, which is tanned on a family farm in Leicestershire. In a story of perfect circularity, it also produces a range of accessories for the King, sourced from deer on the Royal Estates and sold in the Highgrove, Balmoral and Sandringham shops."

"Once there were hundreds of leather-makers in Britain — now it’s only a handful, but a new micro-tannery movement fronted by Jack Millington is changing that."

"A growing micro-tannery sector in the UK is helping to create value for thousands of male goats that would otherwise be killed at birth.Jack Millington walks past two huge industrial-style wooden tanning drums, through a door into the well-insulated drying room. Here, at 35C, amid the whirring of the dehumidifier and one small electric heater, hides from billy goats are stretched out on racks to dry."

"Meet the modern tanners turning goat farm leftovers into luxury goods.Since 2017, Millington and his business partner and childhood friend Rory Harker have been pushing the boundaries of ‘nose to tail’, taking the skins left from Whetlor’s goats and creating beautifully crafted wallets, bags, shoes and aprons – I would seriously recommend taking a look at their backpacks; they’re gorgeous. But in the face of an expensive relocation, Millington and Harker are hoping to raise the money to expand the business further."

"Jack Millington and Rory Harker are co-founders of Billy Tannery, a company based in England’s Midlands that’s helping to revive the region’s rich leather-making history. Launched in 2017, the company produces leather goods – including aprons, backpacks and tote bags – using goatskin from the food industry that would otherwise go to waste. It is also working with a number of restaurants to design bespoke products that are all vegetable tanned at the firm’s micro-tannery."

“From an old farm building in the Midlands comes a line of leather goods with a difference. Billy Tannery’s stylish and super-soft backpacks and briefcases are made using otherwise wasted goat hides in what founders Jack Millington and Rory Harker refer to as a “microtannery” – the first of its kind in the UK.”

Jack welcomes John Craven and the team from BBC Countryfile to the tannery.