Exploring Life & Business with Luz Zambrano of CASUPO

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luz Zambrano.

Hi Luz, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After 10 years working in the footwear industry designing leather goods for major brands, I kept noticing something that bothered me deeply. Factories across Los Angeles were abandoning enormous amounts of premium leather scraps — materials that were beautiful, durable, and perfectly usable — just being thrown away. It felt wrong, and I knew I had to do something about it.
In January 2020 I founded CASUPO, a Long Beach-based sustainable leather goods brand built entirely around rescuing that wasted leather and turning it into something meaningful. The name comes from the Casupo mountain range in Venezuela, where I am from — a nod to my roots and a reminder that beauty can come from unexpected places.
CASUPO products are designed in California and handcrafted across our production facilities in Los Angeles and Leon, Mexico. We use a puzzle-like pattern cutting technique that maximizes every inch of rescued leather so nothing goes to waste. By 2025 CASUPO had rescued over 3 tons of leather that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. We work exclusively with gold-rated tanneries and non-toxic vegetable-based dyes to ensure every product meets the highest environmental standards.
Sustainability is only part of the story. CASUPO was created to align three things I care deeply about: a love for design, a commitment to the environment, and a desire to give back. A portion of every sale goes to FUNDANICA, a nonprofit that funds children’s cancer treatment in Venezuela. That mission is woven into everything we make.
Today CASUPO serves individual customers, corporate clients, and retailers across the country, including Nordstrom. We have been featured in the LA Times, the Wall Street Journal, GQ, and Gear Patrol, and we are proud to be a certified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise. But what drives me every single day is knowing that every CASUPO bag, wallet, and leather accessory rescued something that was going to be discarded and turned it into something someone will carry and love for years.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? Not even close — and I would not have it any other way.
CASUPO launched in Long Beach, California in January 2020, and two months later the world shut down. The pandemic hit just as the brand was getting off the ground, and like so many small business owners I had to make a fast decision: adapt or fold. I chose to adapt.
CASUPO pivoted to producing comfortable, washable protective face masks. What made that pivot especially challenging was that all three of our Los Angeles leather factories had only ever worked with leather goods. I personally taught each factory how to manufacture a completely different product from scratch. It was demanding and exhausting, and it turned out to be one of the most valuable leadership experiences of my entrepreneurial journey. It showed me that I could guide a team through uncertainty and that the craftspeople I work with are capable of far more than they realize.
After the face mask demand wound down it took a couple of years to rebuild momentum and find our way back to sustainable leather goods. The market had shifted and I had to rediscover what CASUPO stood for in a new landscape. Rebuilding a leather goods brand from the ground up, again, required patience, creativity, and a lot of faith.
In the middle of all of that I also became a mother. Balancing a growing Los Angeles small business with a new baby is something no one can fully prepare you for. There were moments of doubt and exhaustion. But I gave myself grace and time, and with the love and support of family and friends I found my footing again.
Today CASUPO is growing and thriving, carried at Nordstrom and recognized by some of the most respected publications in the country. Every difficult chapter was preparing the brand for this one. The struggles did not break CASUPO. They built it.

As you know, we’re big fans of CASUPO. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
CASUPO is a Long Beach-based sustainable leather goods brand specializing in fully customizable leather products for corporate events, client appreciation gifts, and private label manufacturing. The brand also offers a ready-to-shop collection of handcrafted leather bags, wallets, and accessories available online and at Nordstrom.
What sets CASUPO apart starts with the materials. Premium leather scraps abandoned at Los Angeles factories are rescued and transformed into beautiful, durable goods using a zero-waste, puzzle-like cutting technique that maximizes every inch of material. Every CASUPO product is a second chance for leather that would have otherwise gone to a landfill.
On the corporate gifting side CASUPO works with companies of all sizes to create custom leather pieces that are truly memorable. From embossed logos and personalized monograms to fully custom colorways and hardware finishes, every detail can be tailored to reflect a brand’s identity. CASUPO has produced custom leather corporate gifts for clients across finance, real estate, hospitality, and entertainment in Los Angeles and nationwide. Digital mockups are offered from the very first conversation to make the process easy and visual for clients.
For brands looking to develop their own leather goods line CASUPO also offers full private label leather manufacturing services. From tech pack development and leather sampling to production runs, every step of the process is guided with the craftsmanship and attention to detail that only comes from a team that truly loves what they do. CASUPO’s production facilities span Los Angeles, California and Leon, Mexico.
What CASUPO is most proud of is proving that you do not have to choose between beautiful design and doing the right thing. Gold-rated tanneries, non-toxic vegetable-based dyes, zero-waste production, and local Los Angeles craftsmanship are not compromises — they are the standard. And through every sale CASUPO contributes to FUNDANICA, a nonprofit funding children’s cancer treatment in Venezuela.
Featured in the LA Times, the Wall Street Journal, GQ, and Gear Patrol, and certified as a Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise, CASUPO has built a reputation for quality, purpose, and creativity. But more than the press and the recognition, what matters most is this: when you purchase a CASUPO product or gift one to a valued client, you are supporting a brand made with intention, crafted with love, and built to last.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I have learned is that resilience is not about having all the answers. It is about refusing to stop moving forward even when you do not.
When I launched CASUPO in January 2020 I had a clear vision for a sustainable leather goods brand built on purpose and craftsmanship. Two months later a global pandemic changed everything. I had to pivot, rebuild, teach, adapt, and then do it all over again. And somewhere in the middle of all of that I became a mother. There were moments where I genuinely did not know if CASUPO would survive, let alone grow into what it is today.
What carried me through was learning to trust the process even when I could not see the outcome. I learned to ask for help without shame, to lean on my community, and to give myself the same grace I would give anyone else going through something hard. I also learned that every obstacle contains information. The pandemic taught me how to lead factories through impossible pivots. The slow years after taught me patience and the value of staying true to a brand’s identity even when growth feels out of reach.
As a Latina entrepreneur and mother running a sustainable leather goods business in Los Angeles I have also learned that your story is your greatest asset. The leather scraps we rescue, the mountain range that inspired our name, the children in Venezuela we support through FUNDANICA, these are not just marketing points. They are the soul of CASUPO, and when you lead with your authentic story the right customers, partners, and opportunities find their way to you.
The journey is never a straight line. But every detour has shaped CASUPO into exactly what it was meant to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://casupo.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casupo.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casupo.co/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luz-zambrano-3021624/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/casupo

Image Credits
Hannah Siddiqui