Ta’ Qali Artisan Village is the home of a number of skilled and passionate artisans, including ceramists who give birth to unique, colourful handmade products. The production process is open for visitors to experience, and customers are indeed encouraged to meet with the ceramists themselves to create a bespoke product.
Bristow Potteries has been successfully operating at the Ta’ Qali Artisan Village since 1972, when it was set up by owners Adrian and Mark Grima. Today, the company employs 13 artisans who produce and deliver products in line with changing market trends and provide ultimate customer satisfaction.
Bristow Potteries produces a wide range of contemporary, classical, and traditional ceramic items both for the local and foreign markets. As it stands, the company has an extensive collection of handmade ceramics which include volcanic tabletops, house names and numbers, drainpipes and ventilators, commercial signage, light features, and souvenirs. At any given moment, there are around 750 pieces available in the display gallery, where the concept is to offer a unique shopping experience to visitors that flock to the artisan village. Most of the items found at Bristow Potteries are unique to the market and, being both handmade and hand-painted, give a value-added finished touch to the final product. Over the years the company has grown and has established itself as one of the leaders in the ceramic industry. In 2002, the company also embarked on an ambitious project, transforming its production line using Italian based technology that is more energy efficient. Bristow Potteries also provides hands-on activities for children and workshops for adults, providing participants with the opportunity to experience pottery making on a first-hand basis.
Mediterranean Ceramics has been set up at the artisan village since 2008. Inspired by the authenticity of Maltese ceramic craftsmanship and the beauty of the Mediterranean, together with the company’s interest in the beauty of natural stone, the owners Brian and David Grima have invested heavily in order to create original collections and bespoke ceramics, lava stone and volcanic stone products. Mediterranean Ceramics specialises in these products, as well as customised steel structures including gazebos. By doing so the company branched out into new product lines such as bathroom counters, sinks, kitchen counters, customised tables, coffee tables, unique indoor and outdoor tiling, as well as outdoor barbecue areas, urns, steel gazebos, pool tiles and murals. Specialising in customisation gives the company the opportunity to offer a wide variety of bespoke indoor and al fresco design solutions for private homes or businesses.
Although Mediterranean Ceramics is a small family-run business, it has a strong vision, that is to revive the craft of ceramic making in Malta and promote it as part of the Mediterranean cultural identity both locally and overseas. The company always seeks to make use of traditional craftsmanship and adopt modern concepts in their product design, also investing in new machinery and sustainable production methods. It was selected from among several competing worldwide companies to produce handmade and hand-painted ceramic murals for a project on the new establishment XXII Carat on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.
Bristow Potteries and Mediterranean Ceramics can be contacted via e-mail respectively on info@bristowpotteries.com and info@mediterraneanceramics.com, or by following or contacting them via Facebook or Instagram.
The Malta Crafts Foundation