The Philippines is a country of many things and one of its coveted wonders, more than its scenic archipelago, is its craftsmanship manifested in its world-class produce.

One can find such product at CHELSI Leather and Services Inc. in Meycauayan, Bulacan—the town known as the center of Philippine leather industry in the last 100 years. 

The company is one of the biggest in the tannery business producing and supplying leather materials to various manufacturers of shoes, bags, furniture, novelty items and even automobiles. 

Mary Lazaro, managing director of CHELSI Leather and Services, Inc., prides her company for pioneering leather goods manufacturing in the Philippines since its operation in 1901.  

Mary is a keeper of a century-old knowledge on a craft that has been passed on to her by generations including that of a Chinese traditional tanning process using ingredients like lime, acid, and camachile extract, which is a natural tanning extract.
The first product that they made was of carabao hide. 

Carabao leather is naturally firm and is ruggedly grained. This is why thicker things like belts, soles, and radio cases tend to use it more frequently. In comparison to cow leather, it has fewer options for finishing because of its hard characteristics. However, it still has a simple quality, making it adaptable to embossed prints and patterns.

The carabao leather comes with different style, color, and design such as acacia, milled, pebble, perforated, stones, veins, waffles, washed, and yama.

As the business grew, the tanning technology advanced and new products were added into its catalogue. Aside from carabao hide, they are now manufacturing leather from cow, rabbit, and crocodile.

Their raw materials are sourced from as far as Samar and Zamboanga. They also import from Asian countries and Australia when supply becomes scarce.

Their items are available for online purchase in the Philippines and can be monogrammed or tailored to a particular style, kind, and design.

CHELSI’s remained resilient even in the face of adversity, exhibiting tenacity during the period when most tanneries in Meycauayan struggled to survive but howbeit failed.   

CHELSI’s also got caught up in a hardship during the global pandemic when products like theirs are considered as not essential for survival. Sourcing for hides at this time has also become significantly challenging because it is cooked for food rather than sold to be made into accessories. 

But CHELSI’s knows that this is just a temporary setback and did not stop them from producing quality products. This made them a mainstay supplier of leather goods abroad.

While export has become the crux of their business, Mary openly shares her personal gripe on how the local leather industry has faced a downturn since the early part of the 21st century.  

She said, from 200 tanneries when the industry boomed a century ago, only 10 tanneries are operating in Meycauayan.

It is against this backdrop that the province of Bulacan has recently laid out measures to revitalize the tannery industry. Said measures include maintaining a steady source of cow, carabao, and goat skins; modernizing the tanneries; and reviving a cooperative and creating a technical working group that will plan out how to sustainably operate the tanneries in Bulacan without hurting its river system.

“If you’re into serious business, instead of just eyeing on how to make money, your focus should be fixed on producing high-quality products while being mindful of your workers and the environment,” Mary said when asked how CHELSI’s made it to the remaining few tanneries that are still standing.

The good thing about leather is that it may survive for a hundred years or more. What makes carabao leather unique is that it is naturally firm with rougher grains. This is why it is often used to make thicker materials like belts, soles, and radio cases. Our products made from carabao leather are being exported to as far as Europe.

The statement is also telling of why the brand, much like each one of its leather products, is designed to last.