Wonki Ware's Humble Beginnings
When you think of South Africa with their exquisite wine and the famed rooibos tea, the last thing that would come to your mind would probably be handcrafted pottery. Imagine our surprise at Everten when we found Wonki Ware, a family-run handmade pottery business who prides themselves as a social enterprise in South Africa.
Wonki Ware began when the founder, Di Marshall, started a small pottery studio in town to keep herself occupied while her children were in school. Di and her family lived on a farm at the outskirts of town, making it quite a distance to see her children off to school daily. Having the small pottery studio in town meant that Di could work on her pottery while waiting for her children to complete their lessons.
Di’s studio attracted the attention of the local community and like-minded creatives, eventually with people coming in to look for work. Starting with a young Xhosa man who Di trained to sensitively handmake bowls and platters, to a talented lady who could beautifully paint the plates produced, the creators in this small studio and their creations soon grew to become Wonki Ware as they were joined by a brilliant agent. Today, they employ more than 70 people from underprivileged backgrounds and empower them with the art of pottery making.
Image from Instagram @wonkiware
Sensitive Handmade Process
The creation process of Wonki Ware’s beautiful dinnerware is a lengthy and sensitive one. First, organic and recycled raw clay is hand-shaped then left to dry a few days under the sun before undergoing the firing process, turning it into hard bisque.
Image from Instagram @wonkiware
The hard bisque is left to cool, followed by the sanding and cleaning process.
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Image from Instagram @wonkiware
Finally, the now clean bisque is individually glazed and hand-painted before the final firing and cooling process, which takes up to 3 days! Because of the process's length and the high level of care required, Wonki Ware's dinnerware and serving ware are made in small batches.
Each piece of Wonki Ware embodies the warm and vibrant spirit of Africa, having been handmade by up to 15 skilled local craftsmen and women through the careful creation process. As Wonki Ware’s divine pottery is individually handcrafted, you are guaranteed a beautiful one-of-a-kind piece in your collection.
Image from Instagram @wonkiware
Wonki Ware’s pieces are not only attention-grabbing, but they also come in rare sizes. Our families were ecstatic to find that Wonki Ware’s serving platters could even fit a recipe for a whole salmon fillet (think half of an entire salmon)! Imagine serving your family or guests salmon fillet as a main with a hearty bowl of Scottish Tattie Soup similar to the picture above.
From one family business to another, we at Everten are proud to bring you a beautiful range of hand-crafted Wonki Ware platters and dinnerware. You can proudly showcase your culinary prowess with your one-of-a-kind Wonki Ware piece at your next dinner party. Wonki Ware's pieces are so versatile, it can even be used as a contemporary decorative piece at home like the cosy scene below. The possibilities are simply endless!
Image from Instagram @wonkiware
Have you gotten yourself a unique Wonki Ware piece? Share your thoughts on Wonki Ware with us!
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