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Kalaparkki

I am Ossi Kumpulainen, the founder of Kalaparkki oy.
When I started my own experiments from tanning fish skin to sustainable leather in the 1990s, fish leather and its usefulness and durability as finished leather were familiar to very few.
Through tenacious testing, hard work , and tips I received from other leather makers, I gradually found the right methods for tanning good quality, beautiful, and durable fish skin leather. In addition to making leather, I train artisans and enthusiasts to tan fish skin leather, even from self-caught fish.

My company Kalaparkki oy has been manufacturing fish skin leather and fish leather products since 2007. Our most popular products have been fish skin leather wallets. fish skin leather wallets. Their durability in use has amazed many users of the products. Cuero de pescado botella de bolsillo are still popular anniversary gifts for fishermen especially with engraving.

The method we use in leather production is the traditional vegetable tanning. We use ecological wood-based vegetable tanning agents in our production. Fish skins are derived from fish caught for food. The skins we use as raw material are mainly collected from fish shops and professional fishermen.

Read more about Fish skin leather: Ecological and sustainable fish skin leather

The most used fish species in our products are:

Burbot (Lota lota)

The burbot's fine, variable surface pattern and fairly smooth surface make the leather excellent for use even in small pieces of decoration. The strength and durability of the burbot leather comes out well as a material in belts, wallets and even coin purses.
Below is an example of the surface of a tanned burbot leather. The stripe visible on the surface of the leather is the lateral line of the fish.

All burbot leather products Read more about Burbot leather: Lota (Lota lota)

Salmon (Salmo Salar)

Salmon leather has easily recognized pattern, which is composed of scale pockets. The scales of the fish are removed at the beginning of the tanning process when the hides are cleaned. The leather from the back of the salmon is darker and lightest on the abdomen.
Below is an example of the surface of a tanned salmon leather.

All salmon leather products

Pike (Esox lucius)

The species we use pike leather is the roughest one. The pike's scale pocket does not stay intact when the scales are removed, and the straggly edges of the large scale pockets make the surface of the leather very three-dimensional.
Below is an example of the surface of a tanned pike leather.

All pike leather products

Pikeperch (Sander Lucioperca)

The surface of the pikeperch leather shows a clear pattern of scale pockets, but it is not as regular and neat as salmon leather has. The surface of the pikeperchleather is in the middle ground between salmonleather and pikeleather.
Below is an example of the surface of a tanned pikeperch leather.