SCOBY LEATHER
MATERIAL EXPLORATION
2018-2019
A leather-like material can be grown from the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (also known as the mother or SCOBY) that forms during the process of kombucha fermentation. The SCOBY was allowed to grow in large containers, undisturbed, for at least 2 months before being dried on a wood plank and then treated with oil. Kombucha leather has the potential to be a more sustainable alternative to animal leather.
SCIENCE
Kombucha is made from the fermentation of tea (or coffee!) by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (aka: SCOBY). The yeast use sugar for energy through glycolysis and alcohol fermentation, producing ethanol and CO2 as biproducts. Bacteria in the SCOBY convert the ethanol to acetic acid which gives the kombucha a sour vinegar taste. The SCOBY grows as it feeds, forming a solid film on the top of the liquid.