We (James and Carolina Maxwell) started Essence of Colombia in 2001. I was visiting Colombia whilst attempting to travel around the world and was struck by its varied beauty and the generosity of its people and during my time there I met Carolina, my wife, and since then we have lived in both the UK and Colombia for the past 9 years.
Together we decided that we wished to start up our own business and that we wanted to create a brand that is representative of the image of Colombia and that also invested in the people and culture of the country. As a result of this we are very much a family business.
Carolina manages all of the design, production and everything in Colombia, whilst James handles the UK and international customers and the distribution of the product. Together we seek to provide you with a friendly and helpful service; we are always available to discuss your needs and no order is too small.
Colombian leather is unique in its texture and feel. Known as vaqueta it is tanned by hand using a generations old technique that allows the leather to be enjoyed in all of its natural beauty. All of our leather is ethically sourced and all of our tanneries use water purification plants so that any effluent is cleaned before being returned to the environment. Also all of our fittings are sourced within Colombia to allow us to manufacture a product that is 100% Colombian.
We offer a range of leather products to the retail and wholesale trade, including ladies' handbags, backpacks, gentlemens' bags, briefcases, folios and travel bags and holdalls. Most of our bags are available in either black, brown or tan leather. We can also manufacture to individual customer needs. Through our website, a range of products are available direct to the public.
Come in and see what we have to offer, we look forward to introducing you to a taste of Colombia.
