"Cordovan" is a piece of leather that is hidden inside the hind quarters of a horse - the strongest, thickest part of the skin. To get to it, the horse hind needs to be tanned again and again, shaved, pressed, rolled, and then treated with a secret mixture of oils and waxes. The
final product is smooth and indestructable, yet, with a unique sheen that is admired by shoemakers the world over.

There's only one company in the world who still makes Cordovan: Horween in Chicago. For the German science show, "Galileo", this special factory opened their doors and let us look inside their family owned, 100 year old facility.

Not much has changed here since the company was founded. Every step of the process is done by hand; the tanning is all natural - no chemicals are used.
The machines were built at the turn-of-the-century. And they still like to take things slowly. It takes 6 month from horse hind to the finished leather piece.

Client: Pro7/Galileo     Airdate: 4/29/09    TRT: 12:33 min
Director: Johannes Wiebus
Camera: Peter Krajewski
Editor: Kathleen O'Heron