Adelante

What Adelante does

Adelante Made-To-Order is a Boston-headquartered, direct-to-consumer footwear brand that sells handcrafted leather shoes made-to-order at its 100% artisan-owned workshop in Pastores, Guatemala. The catalog spans men's and women's loafers, dress shoes, boots, sandals, and mules (e.g., The Luca, The Lorenzo, The Havana, The Granada, The Reina), with prices ranging from $195 to $545. The company's core technology is a made-to-order production system using Goodyear welt and Blake stitch construction on full-grain and nubuck leather, unlocking extensive customization not offered by mass-market peers: sizes 4 through 17 including half sizes, seven widths for men (C through EEEEE) and seven for women (A through EEE), split sizing (different size per foot) included at base price, and nine calf width options for women's tall boots.

Adelante operates a cobbler-to-customer direct model with no retail stores, no wholesale distribution, and no third-party resellers. Orders are placed through the company's e-commerce website and ship directly from the Guatemala workshop with free US shipping and a standard 6-week delivery window; pre-purchase support includes free 15-minute virtual fittings with a dedicated sizing expert and a self-serve Find My Size quiz. Revenue is 100% one-time purchase with no subscription or recurring billing; first-purchase conversions are supported by a 10% email-signup discount and limited monthly "Adelante Reserve" drops. Customer segments are horizontal personas — primarily men and women with non-standard foot sizes or calf widths (e.g., widths beyond the standard D for men or B/C for women, sizes beyond 13, split-size feet), with a secondary segment of ethically-minded consumers.

Adelante was founded in 2016 and operates with 51-100 employees. The company has disclosed four funding rounds between 2017 and 2021 totaling approximately $2.95M, with 37 Angels, Grupo Sierra Capital, RevUp Capital, Seed Round Capital, and the Newchip Accelerator as named backers. There is no parent company, no acquisition history, and no disclosed management information beyond co-founders Peter Sacco (CEO), Michael Pelzer (COO), and Horacio Alvarez (Production Manager), plus chief marketing officer Leah Russell. The company received 2026 Eco-Stylist recognition in two sustainability roundups.

Name

Adelante

Legal name

Adelante Made-To-Order

Website

https://adelanteshoes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Adelante is a Boston-based direct-to-consumer footwear brand selling handmade, made-to-order leather shoes, boots, loafers, and sandals crafted by master artisans at its workshop in Pastores, Guatemala, serving men and women with non-standard foot sizes and calf widths via a cobbler-to-customer model with full US shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Handcrafted Leather Footwear

NAICS

Footwear Manufacturing (3162), Shoe Retailers (45821)

SIC

Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140), Retail-Shoe Stores (5661)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury & Designer Footwear (CRAAACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Shoe & Leather Care (Polishes, Protectants, Cleaners) (CRADAKAL)

Keywords

• Handmade leather shoes
• Made-to-order footwear
• Goodyear welt boots
• Wide width dress shoes
• Wide calf boots

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct Shoe Sales: One-time purchase of made-to-order leather shoes. No subscription or recurring revenue. Customers pay upfront for custom-crafted footwear delivered within 6 weeks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Adelante manufactures and sells made-to-order handcrafted leather shoes, boots, loafers, and sandals for men and women. Each pair is individually crafted by master artisans at the company's workshop in Pastores, Guatemala, using Goodyear welt and Blake stitch construction with premium full-grain and nubuck leathers. The company's core differentiator is its made-to-order production system that unlocks extensive customization including sizes 4-17, seven widths per gender, split sizing, and nine calf width options for tall boots. Products ship directly from the Guatemala workshop to customers worldwide with free US shipping and 6-week delivery.

Product overview

Adelante Made-To-Order is a handcrafted leather shoe company offering made-to-order boots, loafers, dress shoes, and sandals for men and women. The company operates a workshop in Pastores, Guatemala, where master artisans craft each pair individually using Goodyear welt and Blake stitch construction methods. The product portfolio spans multiple collections including Men's Shoes & Loafers (featuring The Luca, The Viento, The Lorenzo, The Tomás, The Clásico, The Náutico, The Marco, The Romero, The Moccasin, and various boots), Men's Boots (The Havana, The Santiago, The Rugged Havana, The Mendoza, The Valparaíso), Women's Shoes & Sandals (The Sofía, The Sabina, The Serena, The Marina, The Córdoba, The Isabela, The Camila, The Moccasin), Women's Boots (The Granada, The Elena, The Cozy Havana, The Mérida, The Carmen, The Catalina), and Wide Calf Boots (The Reina, The Condesa). All products offer extensive customization including sizes 4-17 (men) and 4-15 (women), multiple width options (C-EEEEE for men, A-EEE for women), and 9 calf width options for tall boots. The company emphasizes cobbler-to-customer direct-to-consumer model with 6-week delivery and free US shipping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Men's Shoes & Loafers

Quantifiable outcome

• 6-week delivery from order to customer door
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Allen Edmonds: Premium American-made leather dress shoes and boots sold direct and through department stores. Highly comparable on price range ($200-$600+), Goodyear welt construction, and target customer; explicitly named by an Adelante customer as the brand they switched from after 15 years.
• Beckett Simonon: Direct-to-consumer made-to-order leather shoes and sneakers produced in small batches. Closest comparable in DTC go-to-market, made-to-order model, premium price points ($200-$400), and modern minimalist positioning.
• Thursday Boot Company: DTC premium leather boots and shoes in a comparable price band ($200-$400). Direct competitor in the men's premium boot segment, though Thursday uses stock sizing and offshore mass production rather than made-to-order.
• Idrese: Made-to-order leather dress shoes sold direct-to-consumer. Comparable on the build-to-order business model and premium men's dress shoe category, with similar hand-finished construction.
• Grant Stone: Premium Goodyear-welted leather boots and dress shoes sold direct-to-consumer. Comparable on construction quality, price range, and target customer seeking heritage-style dress footwear.
• Meermin: Spanish handmade leather shoes sold direct-to-consumer globally. Comparable on price band ($200-$450), Goodyear welt construction, and DTC channel with worldwide shipping.

Emerging players

• Markhof: Made-to-order German leather shoes in the premium segment. Comparable on bespoke-like production model and DTC focus, though smaller scale and primarily serving the European market.
• Crown Northampton: Handmade English shoes and boots produced in small batches. Comparable on heritage construction, premium positioning, and made-to-order capability, with comparable artisanal pricing.

Broad incumbents

• Red Wing Heritage: Iconic American heritage leather boot brand with broad retail distribution. Comparable on premium leather, Goodyear welt construction, and durability positioning, though operating at much larger scale and through wholesale.
• Dr. Martens: Globally established heritage boot brand with broad retail and DTC distribution. Comparable as a brand-anchored boot maker, though positioned at lower price points and mass production rather than made-to-order.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/adelanteshoeco
• Facebookfacebook.com/adelanteshoeco
• Instagraminstagram.com/adelanteshoeco
• Pinterestpinterest.com/adelanteshoes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adelante-shoe-co.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Adelante