Our Producers
OUR CERAMIC PRODUCER MARIO
Every company can undoubtedly look back on the one relevant cooperation that has accompanied and shaped the path of individual development. In our case, it is the cooperation with Mario.
Mario grew up in a pottery family. At the beginning of onomao he had just taken over the management of the family business when we started looking for a manufacturer to found onomao.
THE CLASSIC CERAMIC MANUFACTORY
In the course of developing our second tableware collection CLASSIC we went in search of another ceramic manufacturer. We landed at a family business in the rolling hills behind Porto. The family looks back on a long ceramic tradition. Working with clay has been consistently passed down and specialized from generation to generation.
Our CLASSIC collection is tamped by hand before being cleaned and refined after a drying process to be glazed before firing. Creative hand-painting is part of the manufacturer's hobbyhorse. Thus CLASSIC gets her stripes missed in loving handwork in the small studio.
THE ACCESSORIES CERAMIC MANUFACTORY
To expand our accessories range and to be able to use different manufacturing processes, the cooperation with Senhor Cunjha was born. His manufactory is also located in the Porto region - just like our first ceramic manufacturer.
We were allowed to build up a good relationship with the warm-hearted man. Cunjha's friendly approach to his team, his relaxed nature, and his professionalism appeal to us greatly. Having started his career as a pharmacist himself, he came to work with clay in the 1980s through his wife.
Her family had already been running the factory for generations, which would later become his property. Our candlesticks, FLORES vases, and flower pots are created both on the potter's wheel and by stamped clay technique in the family business.
THE CARPET WEAVING FACTORY OF SENHOR RUI
At the age of 16, Rui started working for one of the largest carpet factories in the country. When it had to close down due to the economic crisis 20 years later, he had the opportunity to buy a few of the looms and start his own production.
His rugs are made from recycled cotton yarns from the local textile industry, which he spins himself.
Unlike traditionally woven rugs, he uses jute fibers as the basic structure, which makes the rugs very durable. They are woven by hand out of conviction. Rui is one of our first producers, and our collaboration has developed steadily over the past few years.
We love the enthusiasm with which Rui takes our ideas and processes them. We immediately felt that weaving is not only his job but rather his passion.
RECYCLED GLASS FROM SPAIN
For years we have been dreaming of glasses made of recycled glass. However, searching for a suitable glassblowing company was more complicated than we had hoped. Already two years ago, we visited several glassblowing companies in Portugal. Although we were enthusiastic about the craftsmanship, none of the manufacturers wanted to produce glasses from recycled glass, which was and is a prerequisite for us.
In 2021, we found what we were looking for in Spain in the Alicante region. A small family business with about five employees and a lot of experience should fit our expectations. The glassblowing company has existed for a good 30 years. The company is run by a glass professional. In addition, his daughter and her partner work there. The size of the team was very appealing to us. So together, we were able to develop our first glass collection from recycled glass.
THE WOOL BLANKET WEAVING MILL
At an altitude of almost 2000 meters, the weaving mill of our wool blankets is located in the region of Manteigas in Serra da Estrela, the mountains of Portugal.
The family business has existed since 1925, and the region and the manufacturer have always worked with sheep. The milk is used to produce cheese specialties - the wool is used to make high-quality wool products. Also, the wool of our wool blankets comes from the immediate environment of the manufacturer. So we were able to get to know the sheep and the shepherd personally.
The manufacturer specializes in high-quality felt fabrics and soft wool blankets. From spinning the shorn wool to weaving, the wool blankets' creation process takes place entirely in the factory. Delicate wool threads are stretched on the looms in a three-day process to weave the particular pattern. The colors are pure natural colors of the sheep. For example, the brown of a pattern is obtained from a sheep with brown fur.
This recycling cycle - with products from free, happy animals - appeals to us very much. The quality of the wool blankets as well.