Carthage.Co - Ethical Dinnerware
OUR STORY
FROM TUNISIA TO YOUR DINNER TABLE
The dinner table is more than just a place to sit down and eat. It serves as a point of crossroads coming together to develop deeper human bonds. Named after the ancient city of Carthage that once served as a connecting point of Mediterranean trade, the Carthage.Co mission is to provide a valuable point of connection that starts in Tunisia and ends at your dinner table, bringing you beautifully crafted artisan stoneware without a luxury price tag. We’re passionate about being part of your dinner table because we know that the bonds started here are the ones that create memories and impact historical moments.
COMPANY STORY
Carthage.Co brings two continents together to create a world table and our co-founders, Andrew and Paul, each contribute different qualities as they gather around it. Together, these lifelong friends discovered they shared the same passion for doing business which positively impacted the lives of the creators of products as much as those who bought them and from there, Carthage.Co was born.
Spending ten years working with students, Andrew developed leadership teams, took students on discovery trips around the world and loved engaging with new cultures. As an MBA student, Andrew took his entrepreneurial spirit to the next level wanting to transform people’s lives having social impact. Paul, an experienced traveler spending years in Africa prior, moved to Tunisia and embraced its forward-thinking culture. Through his immersion, he discovered quality products that would be worth exporting to the American market. At Carthage.Co we work to honor and empower Tunisian artisans and create jobs in the U.S.
Carthage.Co is proud to partner with local manufacturers that employ and empower their communities with dignity and equity. Carthage.Co knows that affordability plays a major role in the products that reach your table. Creating a direct to consumer channel, you get the same high-end products at a fraction of a retail store’s price. This direct relationship influences our customers and draws them into the lives and narratives of those who make their pieces.
WHAT MAKES OUR STONEWARE SO UNIQUE
Carthage.Co wants to do more than set your table with our stoneware, they want to curate it! Carthage.Co brings you handcrafted Tunisian ceramics with a rich history in the making. Our products are ethically sourced. Their collections are far from mainstream as they don’t believe in taking the raw materials for their stoneware to be made completely identical in a factory setting. They think of themselves as the step in between you traveling to a Tunisian open air market to purchase these pieces from an artisan yourself. Carthage.Co is glad to save you the trip and welcome you to their world table.
CARTHAGE.CO STONEWARE - FROM TUNISIA TO YOUR TABLE
Catharge.co wants to tell you the story of the people and the process of how their products are made. Their story starts with their name. Built alongside the sea, the city of Catharge once served as a hub of Mediterranean trade. Carthage.Co brings stoneware to America that is sourced, created, and imported from North Africa.
WHAT MAKES CARTHAGE.CO DIFFERENT?
At Carthage.Co, they're proud that they can bring the beauty of luxury stoneware products to you, without the large price tag. Their way around this was to create a direct to consumer channel, meaning you get the same high-end products at a fraction of a retail store’s price. This direct relationship influences their mission to draw their customers into the lives and narratives of those who make their pieces. Just as a dining table brings people together, they're working to bring some of the beauty that is so characteristic of Tunisia to American homes - one table at a time.
WHO MAKES THE PRODUCTS?
They're proud to work with local manufacturers that employ and empower their communities with dignity and equity. They now have over 100 locals working on their Carthage.Co products. They believe in sustainable entrepreneurial growth that partner with instead of competes against.
WHAT IS THE PRODUCTION PROCESS?
Their Hamila Factory is located near in Nabeul Tunisia. It begins with clay mined in Tabarka, Tunisia. The process is started when a mixture of clay, sand, potash, and water is mixed for six hours. Then the liquid is filtered to remove impurities. Pitchers, goblets, and rectangular dishes are formed using a wet clay poured into a mold. Plates and serving dishes are formed on presses and wheels and then dried in large electric driers.
Each piece of stoneware we sell passes through many hands on its way to being fired in large electric kilns. A high level of care and attention to detail each person gives to his or her task is evident throughout the process. The stoneware you see on your table is a beautiful creation produced with care by the over 100 people who work there. Some with more than twenty years of experience!
The final step in the process is hand glazing. Once glazed the stoneware is added to the kiln. The kilns fire the stoneware at temperatures up to 1300 °C for approximately 12 hours.
After cooling, each piece is carefully inspected for blemishes and then packaged for the month-long journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
