From Germany to Brazil

In 1925, in the wake of the upheaval brought to Europe by the First World War, Henrik Runge, Walentyna Runge and their son Peter Paul Runge arrived in Brazil. Peter Paul, still a child, would later be registered in the country as Pedro Paulo Runge.

Still in the 1920s, the family resumed its work with hides in Brazil. Henrik brought with him experience mainly in producing goat chamois and fine glove leathers, articles of great importance at the time.

His technical knowledge was also linked to Cortume Matarazzo, in São Caetano do Sul, where he took part in the development and production of goat chamois and glove leathers.

In 1931, the family established Cortume Henrique Runge in Vila Clementino, São Paulo. This period gave rise to the visual identity that would run through the company’s history and is still represented in our logo today.

In 1937, the operation moved to Santo André, where the name Cortume Runge was definitively established. It marked the start of a chapter that would last nearly nine decades in the same city.

A generation devoted to innovation

Over the years, Pedro Paulo Runge came to work alongside the family and played an important role in expanding and specializing production.

His work included the development of exceptionally soft lambskin leathers for the apparel market and, above all, for footwear. For Jacometti Calçados, Pedro Paulo helped develop a particularly soft lambskin for shoes, at a time when mastery of the hand, elasticity and natural finish of leather was a significant technical advantage.

But another story that began in that period is still alive today.

In late 1956, Cortume Runge began working for Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Brazil, developing the traditional natural chamois for vehicle cleaning, known for generations as the “Mercedes chamois”.

The relationship has spanned decades, and the product is still supplied by Cortume Runge. Among the historical records preserved by the company is its original product registration number: 120, a testament to the longevity of this industrial relationship.

New techniques, new markets

In the 1970s, a new generation joined the company. Pedro Henrique Runge, son of Pedro Paulo and Leonilda Runge, began developing different specialties within the tannery.

His work covered hair-on hides, metallic leathers, fashion prints and exotic leathers, once again broadening the company’s technical capabilities and following the transformations of fashion and design.

In the 1980s, his sister Valentina Runge carried forward the legacy begun by their grandparents and developed by their parents and brother. Through her involvement, both the traditional articles and the family’s ability to develop special products for different markets were kept alive.

And through all these transformations, one material remained constant: parchment.

Parchment through the generations

The family’s knowledge of parchment goes back to the Runge family’s origins in Germany, in the 19th century. In Brazil, the availability of raw material and growing demand made it possible to gradually expand its production.

Over the decades, parchment made by Cortume Runge has found its way into diplomas, certificates, invitations, bookbinding, lamps, instruments, decoration and furniture cladding, preserving a craft technique even as the industry around it changed.

Every skin retains the characteristics of a natural material: nuances of tone, texture, translucency and markings that ensure no two pieces are ever exactly alike.

A new generation

Carlos Runge began his path at Cortume Runge in 1995. In 1996 he left the company temporarily to study abroad and, on his return in 1997, focused his work on developing new products and applications for the fashion, décor and design markets.

It was a time when different industries were rediscovering natural materials and replacing certain synthetic solutions with genuine leather. In this context, special leathers were developed for automotive and motorcycle customization, including projects for models from brands such as Harley-Davidson, Indian Motorcycle and other names in the custom scene.

Another specialty was exotic hides. Cortume Runge was among the pioneers of large-scale ostrich tanning in Brazil. In 2007, the company exported ostrich skins to Africa, then the world’s leading reference in the production and processing of this type of leather.

Once again, technical knowledge built over generations allowed Cortume Runge to enter a new market.

From parchment to furniture

Around 2010, another important chapter began. In collaboration with Nico of Vermeil Móveis, Carlos Runge began developing solutions for applying parchment to decorative panels and furniture.

The initial challenge was to solve a concrete production need. From it, however, a new field of expertise was born. Producing excellent parchment was not enough. It was necessary to understand how to select, prepare, match and apply different skins to turn a naturally irregular material into refined surfaces.

Since then, Carlos Runge has been refining techniques for cladding, finishing and project development, while working with professionals and companies to introduce and improve the use of parchment in furniture and interiors.

Along the way, Cortume Runge’s work has been linked to projects and developments for names such as Vermeil, EREA, Olho Interni, Empório Beraldin and ETEL, among other professionals and companies in the furniture and interiors market.

Knowledge no longer lay only in making parchment. It now also lay in applying it.

A new chapter

After decades of building its history in Santo André, in 2025 Cortume Runge moved its operation to Serra Negra, in the state of São Paulo.

The new workshop was conceived with a more specialized focus: the production of high-end natural parchment, claddings, panels and special finishes for furniture and interiors.

At the same time, the traditional applications that have accompanied parchment for generations remain part of our story — from bookbinding to diplomas, from certificates and invitations to instruments and lamps.

Today, five generations after the Runge family’s first work with hides in Germany, we continue to work with the same raw material that has run through this entire story.