The tanning properties of Quebracho Colorado were discovered by Emilio Poisier, a french tanner living in Argentina, in 1867. By 1895 Quebracho extracts were already being exported to Europe and a few decades later they became the most widely used vegetable tanning extract. During the last decades of the 20th century, research about tannins and their alternative uses introduced Quebracho extracts into a growing number of applications.
The name Quebracho comes from the Spanish expression "quiebra hacha" (that means axe-breaker) because of the exceptional wood hardness. Quebracho extracts are a complex blend of poliphenols prepared from the heart wood of Quebracho Colorado trees which only grow in South America in the geographical area called Chaco, which covers Northern Argentina and Paraguay.
These poliphenols extracted from the heartwood of Quebracho Colorado trees, are natural compounds that have the following characteristics:
These remarkably versatile characteristics allow for the extracts to be transformed and enhanced through diverse processes that generate a range of products with specific properties suitable for several different industries.
To foster a continuous improvement, UNITAN has established and put in practice a system of environmental measures according to regulation ISO 14001:2004.
Our environmental policy has the following goals:
In the Forestry and Sustainable Management section you can see the preservation processes that Unitán started thirty years ago