About Tapir – Natural Care and Maintenance of Shoes, Leather, Furniture, and Clothing

The family-owned company Tapir started out in shoe care, but its product line now extends beyond that. Here at Valfrids, we’ve personally been using their shoe care products for over 15 years. We especially appreciate that they don’t contain petrochemical solvents or other harsh chemicals. We value their craftsmanship-oriented and extremely quality-conscious philosophy.

At Tapir, we’ve always relied on natural ingredients. Every single ingredient—whether it’s carnauba wax for shine, lanolin for protection, or nourishing beeswax—gives our products their unique properties. Tapir’s extensive product line covers everything you need for perfect care—of your home, your clothes and shoes, and even your car or motorcycle.

In the countryside outside Hanover, they have their idyllically located production facility. Everything is done by hand.

How it was done generations ago – forgotten recipes

Tapir has amassed a large collection of antique cookbooks. Many of them were thought to be lost. The rediscovered recipe manuals were often more than 100 years old and turned out to be a real treasure. They teach us how to make care products from long ago, before people started using petrochemical ingredients. That’s how people cared for their shoes, clothes, and homes generations ago. Back then, a pair of shoes, when cared for with care, could last almost a lifetime. Natural waxes, oils, and solvents were the basic ingredients in the care products of yesteryear.

Valfrids Visits Tapir’s Factory

Tapir’s founder, Bodo, told us at Valfrids—as an example of how important the quality of raw materials is—that they had tried to buy flaxseed oil in bulk on the European market. But the quality was too inconsistent. They needed to establish contact with a grower to ensure consistent quality. So they made an agreement with a local farmer; he began growing flax, and Tapir promised to buy the entire harvest. This allowed them to communicate directly with the producer and know exactly what quality they were getting. The flax is organically grown; it’s more expensive than buying it on the open market, but it ensures the quality they want.

Waxes, resins, fats, oils and solvents are used, all of which are of plant origin. High quality and natural raw materials – sourced from four continents – together form the basis of the unique recipes used in Tapir products. True to the founder’s motto: “Only the best is good enough!”

See also Tapir’s range specially developed for cars, boats and motorcycles. You can find it here.

In the picture the Tapir team. Founder Bodo fourth from the right. On the far right, Hubert, who is Valfrids ‘s instructor on how to use the products.