Annonay Chocolate Calf

Grant Stone uses this leather on multiple dress shoe and boot styles, including the Cap Toe Boot, Fairfield Oxford, Cap Toe Oxford, and Chelsea Boot. The hand-antiqued finish produces a museum calf effect with slight variations that make each pair unique. This leather represents Grant Stone's commitment to using premium French calf leather for dress-oriented footwear construction.

The chocolate antique calf leather comes from Tannerie D'Annonay, located in the Ardèche region of France. The tannery has specialized in premium calf leather production since its establishment in 1838, operating a facility of approximately 8,000 square meters with about 80 employees. The tannery produces approximately two million square feet of leather annually.

Groupe HCP, which has owned the tannery for several years, also owns other heritage leather operations. Hermès, the luxury goods company, is able to select many of the highest quality hides for their own products before distribution to other manufacturers. Despite this priority allocation, the tannery continues to supply premium calf leather to multiple high-end footwear manufacturers including Grant Stone.

The chocolate finish is applied to Vegano crust leather, a specific type of calf leather produced by Annonay. Vegano is characterized as a crust leather with limited finish, distinguishing it from the tannery's box calf offerings which receive a traditional highly glazed finish. The leather is only dyed on the surface rather than being aniline dyed deeper into the hide.

Vegano leather features a natural fine grain with a slightly waxy touch and a semi-bright aniline finish. The crust treatment, which avoids drum dyeing, typically results in softer leather compared to other calfskin types. This natural crust leather is specifically designed to accommodate hand-patina finishing techniques.

Grant Stone applies hand-antiquing to the Vegano leather to create the chocolate antique calf finish. This manual finishing process creates the dark brown color while producing subtle variations across the leather surface. The hand-applied technique generates a museum calf effect, where slight color differences give each piece distinct character.

The antiquing creates depth in the brown shade, allowing the leather to develop additional character over time. Since each piece is hand-antiqued individually, natural variation occurs between different items, making each pair of shoes or boots unique in appearance. This variation is considered a feature of the finish rather than a defect.

Grant Stone offers chocolate antique calf leather on several footwear styles. The Cap Toe Boot features Goodyear-welt construction on the Leo last with smaller eyelets designed to create a dressier appearance suitable for office wear. The boot includes a micro stud rubber outsole for year-round weatherproof durability.

The Fairfield Oxford and Cap Toe Oxford both use the Oliver last with Goodyear-welt construction. The Fairfield features a semi-brogue pattern intended as a business shoe, while the Cap Toe Oxford provides a traditional sleek dress look with a fuller fit. The Chelsea Boot in chocolate calf rounds out the product line, offering an elastic-sided option in the same leather.

Footwear made with chocolate antique calf from Grant Stone incorporates Goodyear-welt construction throughout the line. The uppers use the French calf from Annonay with hand-antiqued finishing. Full-grain leather cow lining sourced from Milwaukee, Wisconsin provides interior comfort and durability.

Construction details include brass eyelets on laced styles, vegetable-tanned leather insoles, welts, and midsoles. Cork filler with steel shanks provides structural support in the footbed. Full-grain leather heel counters maintain shape at the rear of the shoe. The combination of premium French upper leather with American-sourced lining materials reflects Grant Stone's sourcing strategy.

The chocolate antique calf leather exhibits properties common to Annonay Vegano crust leather. The limited surface-only dyeing allows the leather to develop patina over time as it responds to wear, conditioning, and environmental exposure. The slightly waxy surface texture makes the leather particularly receptive to hand-staining and polishing techniques.

The crust leather construction provides more forgiving creasing compared to heavily finished leather types. The creases develop gradually and tend to soften evenly rather than creating sharp break lines. With regular conditioning and care, the leather maintains its fine grain appearance while developing depth in color and character. The natural aging properties make the leather suitable for long-term wear where visual evolution is desired.