How rejected tomatoes became a multi-crore vegan leather empire

A tomato that does not make it to the market is usually treated as waste. It may be too discoloured, too soft or unsuitable for food processing. But what if these rejected tomatoes could be given a second life, not as food, but as a material used to make bags, shoes and fashion accessories? That is the idea behind Pritesh Mistry’s venture, The Bio Company.

The entrepreneur developed a way to turn discarded tomato by-products into bio-leather, a plant-based alternative to conventional leather. What began as a college project has since developed into a business supplying material for fashion, accessories and other applications.The idea addresses two problems at once: agricultural waste and the environmental concerns associated with leather production. Instead of allowing useful plant material to go unused, Mistry is working to convert it into something that can be used by designers and manufacturers.

His journey is not simply about making something new from tomatoes. It is about looking at a familiar problem from a different angle.

Two problems that led to one unusual idea

Mistry’s journey began while he was studying biotechnology at Mumbai’s Thadomal Shahani Engineering College. During his college project, he visited leather tanneries in Kanpur and saw the pollution associated with the tanning process. Around the same time, visits to farms exposed him to the large quantities of agricultural produce that were being discarded.

These experiences made him think about whether one innovation could address both problems.In an interview with The Better India, Mistry explained that he wanted to find a way to use tomato waste while reducing the environmental impact of leather production. He spent months experimenting with tomato by-products, testing different formulations and working to develop a material with the texture and strength required for practical use.Tomatoes were not selected randomly. Their skins and seeds contain natural components, including pectin, that can help give the material flexibility and structure. The company uses discarded tomato material along with biopolymers, plant-based binders and natural fibres to create a leather-like sheet. The process was developed into a product called Bioleather. Mistry's work also received recognition at the 2021 PETA Vegan Fashion Awards, where The Bio Company won the Best Innovation in Textile award.

How discarded tomatoes become a leather alternative

The process begins with collecting tomato by-products from farms and food-processing units. The material is then processed and combined with other plant-based ingredients to create a flexible sheet that can be used in place of conventional leather in selected products. The company says its tomato-based material avoids polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), two plastics commonly used in synthetic leather.

It also describes the product as biodegradable and vegan. These claims are part of the company's material specifications, although the environmental performance of any alternative material depends on its complete composition, manufacturing process and end-of-life conditions.This distinction matters because not every product marketed as vegan leather is necessarily plastic-free. Some alternatives use synthetic coatings or plastic-based layers.

The Bio Company has positioned its tomato-based material as an option that avoids PU and PVC. The innovation has also moved beyond the laboratory. Bioleather has been explored for products such as handbags, footwear, jackets and automotive interiors.

In The Better India’s report, Toronto-based handbag label Satuhati founder Natasha Mangwani described the material as distinctive because of its origin in rejected tomatoes.

The brand began designing samples with Bioleather in 2024 and moved to commercial production a few months later.

From a student experiment to commercial production

Turning a prototype into a material that manufacturers can use is a different challenge from developing it in a college laboratory. The product must have consistent quality, the right texture and enough durability for its intended purpose. The company has also had to work on sourcing enough tomato waste and increasing production without compromising the material.

In a September 2024 interview with Fibre2Fashion, Mistry spoke about the challenges of scaling production and maintaining a consistent supply of tomato waste.

He also discussed the need to build partnerships and help potential customers understand how the material differs from traditional leather and other alternatives.A report published by Tomato News in February 2025 stated that The Bio Company was producing around 5,000 metres of Bioleather every month at its facility.

Mistry said the capacity could be scaled as demand increased while maintaining quality and sustainability standards. The company has also explored other material innovations. Its current website presents tomato-based leather alongside other plant-based and microbial material projects, showing that its work extends beyond a single agricultural by-product.There is no independently verified public figure available in the sources reviewed to establish that the venture has become a multi-crore empire. Its production capacity, product development and industry recognition, however, offer a clearer picture of how the idea has progressed from a student project to commercial activity. Mistry’s story offers a useful lesson in entrepreneurship: sometimes, an opportunity lies in something that others have already decided to throw away.

A rejected tomato may not look valuable, but with research, experimentation and the right process, it can become the starting point for an entirely different product.