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I hope you are having a good day? I have just received a note that gladdens my heart and thought to share that with you and some of what we have been up to lately.
A little back story…
As you may already know, Siegel Leather has been in business for more than 100 years and since the beginning, it has been our practice, as set by my grandfather, to hold the highest level of ethics and honesty. We do not misrepresent our leathers, make false claims or engage in obfuscation. From the very first cut, we decided we were going to make a mark, and we will do it on our own terms.
That’s why, when we buy hides, we insist on the very best grades and pay fair value for them. It might sound simple, but in our trade it isn’t. It means we turn down deals that may look attractive on the surface, saying no to cutting corners that could bring short-term gain. And it also means doing business only with people whose integrity we trust. Above all, because we trade in some of the world's most impoverished areas, we give back to the communities directly through donations to worthy causes.
Each time we buy, we try to represent more than our own business. We represent our country - the USA, our craft, and the values we believe should define trade: honesty, fairness, and respect. We don’t pay bribes. We don’t deal with shadowy middlemen. We don’t look the other way when standards are compromised. These are not rules we follow because they’re easy, they are the lines we draw because they are right.
Over time, this way of working has opened doors to something larger than trade itself: trust. Trust from our suppliers who know they will be treated fairly. Trust from our customers who know that when we say “this is the best grade,” it truly is. And trust from communities who see that business can be done with both profit and principle in mind.
And for years, we quietly supported those communities in our own way. We never spoke about it, partly because it felt more natural to act than to announce. But this time, something shifted. We saw that sharing the story could encourage others to do the same, and could also show you - our clients and partners - that when you choose to work with us, you become a part of a bigger circle.
Our recent commitment…
In the past year, we have supported the Sponsor a Girl Child Initiative in Sokoto. The project provided schoolgirls with new bags and materials to support their journey toward education and independence. Their smiles were a reminder of the power of simple gestures and how what may seem modest can carry extraordinary weight. That gesture was a seed of hope.
Very recently, we got this note from the organizers of the initiative:
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