Adriano Di Marti
Founder

This startup produces sustainable, plant-based vegan leather from cactus, providing a cruelty-free alternative to traditional leather without toxic chemicals or PVC. Their product meets the technical specifications required for diverse applications in the fashion, leather goods, furniture, and automotive industries, addressing the demand for environmentally friendly materials.
Raised to date
$6.3MRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founder
Traditional leather production relies on animal hides or synthetic materials derived from fossil fuels, both of which have significant environmental and ethical drawbacks. Animal agriculture contributes to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and animal welfare concerns, while conventional synthetic leather often contains toxic chemicals and PVC, posing risks to human health and the environment.
Desserto provides a sustainable alternative to traditional leather by producing a plant-based material made from cactus. Their patented technology transforms cactus biomass into a versatile bio-material suitable for diverse applications across the fashion, automotive, and furniture industries. The resulting cactus leather is durable, customizable, and free from toxic chemicals, phthalates, and PVC. Desserto's production process utilizes organic and circular farming systems, minimizing environmental impact and promoting biodiversity. The material offers high resistance to abrasion, tearing, and tensile forces, while also providing competitive features in handling humidity and liquids.
Desserto targets brands and manufacturers in the fashion, automotive, furniture, and leather goods industries seeking sustainable, high-performance alternatives to traditional leather and synthetic materials.