From Our Family to Yours: The Values that Drive Our Business

When I think back to my childhood, the smell of leather always comes to mind.

My father is a cobbler, and he'd come home each day with that familiar scent clinging to his clothes. It was the smell of hard work, of dedication, and of a craft that had been honed over years.

My father, Mario, in his Wynyard workshop.

I spent countless hours in his shop after high school, watching him work. The way he could take a worn-out pair of shoes and breathe new life into them was nothing short of magic. He would show me the details—how leather shoes and bags were made, why each stitch mattered, and how quality materials could last a lifetime.

Those early lessons shaped not just my understanding of leatherwork, but also the values that now guide our family business: authenticity, gratitude, honesty, creativity, and cooperation.

Today, our workshop is a place where these values come to life. My husband and I make a great team—his engineering background means he’s the one who meticulously draws up all the patterns, and I take those patterns and turn them into something tangible, cutting, burnishing, and stitching each piece together. Our daughter is never far away, playing with scraps of leather and admiring the finished products. It’s a small operation, but it’s ours, and it’s incredibly personal.

My 20 month old loves to contribute.

Being family-owned means every single person who reaches out to us, every customer who purchases one of our products, is putting their trust in our hands. They believe in our ability to create something worth their investment, something that reflects all the hard work we put in—the late nights, the early mornings, and the stolen nap-time workshop sessions. And because of that trust, we pour our love into every piece we create. We don’t just make products; we craft each one with care, choosing the right leather, ensuring it’s soft yet strong, and picking fixtures that will last not just years, but generations.

Our hope is that when you use one of our bags, you feel the satisfaction of knowing you’ve invested in something that will be with you for a very long time. It’s not just a bag; it’s a piece of our story, a testament to the values we hold dear.

Working together as a family has been the greatest gift. It’s allowed us to foster creativity and teach our daughter the importance of making things that last, of repairing rather than replacing. There are challenges, of course—finding a consistent income stream, navigating the ever-changing world of social media and marketing—but we believe that staying true to our values will guide us. We trust that this business will flourish in its own time.

As we look to the future, our commitment remains the same: to continue creating beautiful, quality products with the love and care that only a family business can provide. And we’re grateful to every one of you who’s chosen to be part of our journey.

From our family to yours, thank you for believing in us!

Warmly,

Sarina