Trip Recap

My pottery adventure was, for the most part, a huge success. I met with pottery-makers throughout Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy. When I wasn't looking at pottery, I was talking about it -- with friends (new and old) at almost every bar and restaurant I went to along the way. I had a 3 hour "business meeting" over tapas at my favorite bar in Sevilla and discussed French pottery with a Parisian couple at a great wine bar in Marseille.

Besides pottery, I found many other subjects to "research" -- I tasted Port in its namesake Porto, Portugal. I sampled pate at a French bar in Spain and discussed it with a Belgian pate-maker outside Brussels. I did my best to support the wine and cheese industry in Spain. And I sampled all the classic Italian flavors I could manage -- deciding my all-time favorites are pesto sauce, cappuccinos, and chianti (none of which seem to taste nearly as good in the US). I know that doesn't all seem directly related to my business goals, but in my mind wine, food, and pottery are closely linked in the care and tradition that go into crafting perfection.

But to talk concrete outcomes... by the end of my pottery extravaganza, I had decided to definitely work with 4 of the potters I had met: 2 in Italy, 1 in Spain and 1 in France. Portugal will have to wait for now -- and I continue to look for additional sources from France, Spain, and Italy.