Leather Made from Recycled Kombucha & Bacterial Culture
Symbia grows sustainable leather out of recycled kombucha and bacterial culture. We offer our sheets to brands who want to attract customers looking for distinct, avant-garde products and are interested in sustainability.
If you’re a brand…
We are seeking independent designers and brands across the United States to incorporate our bioleather into their products.
Whether that means replacing leather components in your existing products or collaborating on entirely new designs, we’d love to work together.
If you’re a supplier…
We partner with kombucha breweries, coffee roasters, tea companies, and other local beverage producers throughout the Chicagoland area.
Symbia handles collection completely free of charge and helps transform organic waste into bacterial cellulose for sustainable material production.
How it's made
The process
From SCOBY culture to finished bioleather, entirely fermentation-based.
01Fermenting sheets
02Drying and forming
03Finishing and finish
In the community
We visit rural Indonesian provinces to host free training programs, providing all materials and skills for craftspeople to grow their own Kombucha Bioleather.
Our products also use locally sourced Batik and Tenun fabric to promote our intangible cultural heritage on a global scale.
In the field
Our work
Community voices
Real stories
Symbia's programs are very suitable for the people in our village because the materials needed are easily sourced, cheap, and environmentally friendly.
This leather is the first of its kind.
I was struck by how Rayden encouraged the workers by working alongside them.