Spotlight

Down to Earth

Portuguese porcelain brand Costa Verde is taking things to the next level with an original new porcelain collection, Terra.

Ever since it was founded in 1992, Costa Verde has prioritised the strong allegiance it shares with Portuguese porcelain distributors; a strategy that has helped the brand to achieve and maintain such rapid and widespread success. Today, the company remains rooted firmly in the Portuguese market, with a production unit located in the district of Aveiro – yet more than 30 years of steady growth have also seen it benefit from myriad partnerships that have emerged from marketplaces around the world. A consistent appetite for research, as well as for the creation and development of new products, means that Costa Verde now enjoys a presence across more than 50 locations globally, making 70% of its revenue from the international market. But though its business focus is unwavering, the brand remains dedicated to producing innovative, proactive and flexible hospitality solutions in the form of products and services that show respect for both its internal and external environment.

It is for this reason that its new porcelain collection Terra is one of its most meaningful yet. The series, which is set to be unveiled at the end of this year in Portugal before hitting the brand’s international markets in 2023, is the result of a creative collaboration with the San Francisco-based engineer and sculptural designer Pere Gifre. His work across the fields of scenography, interior and industrial sculptural design and architectural elements allows him to enrich his creations with various specialised techniques and processes. These include VFX engineering, which uses computer systems to transform the physical processes of nature into sculpture, light structures or other forms, regardless of scale, material or difficulty. An influential name in the horeca sector, Gifre is currently collaborating with more than 200 Michelin restaurants worldwide on tabletop designs. “We met Pere Gifre more than 10 years ago in Frankfurt, during the Ambiente trade show, and after a short presentation by his staff we immediately thought that Costa Verde should develop a project with him in the future,” explains Marketing Director Paulo Pinto Santos. “Last year Costa Verde decided to move forward with this partnership, and here we are now, with Terra.” He adds: “The combination of all this potential and production capabilities, all together, has led to an astonishing and incredible result.”

Terra focuses on the fundamental, symbolising the start of a new era for Costa Verde. Comprising plates, bowls, podiums and a creamer, the line’s signature feature is its organic shapes, with each strikingly imperfect profile lending the products an earth-carved appearance and allowing them a compelling, elemental aesthetic that is further enhanced by its elegant white colourway. Described as ‘a collection aiming to awaken the senses’, the series offers a tactile experience that seeks to connect diners with nature, thanks to its various textures – which range from coarse to silky satin – and gradients – which range from flat to steep. Each piece has been crafted with the goal of being refreshing and distinct.

Terra is a disruptive shape that will support Costa Verde in elevating the brand. According to the company, it also posed a major challenge in terms of technique: during the product development phase the team had the opportunity of testing out different ways of producing porcelain, new techniques and new skills, in order to create Terra. An upscale collection, Costa Verde is confident that Terra will be a success and take the brand and its further collections to a different level.

Developed with the close input of the twoMichelin-starred chefs Dieter Koschina and Henrique Sá Pessoa, Terra has been designed to appeal to the luxury and fine-dining markets on both a practical and aesthetic level. Manufactured by the brand’s expert porcelain craftspeople, the collection is a fitting tribute to Costa Verde’s motto, All Senses Matter, and in bringing the art of sculpture to the table, the brand hopes the new series will help revolutionise design standards across the horeca market. Encompassing the Costa Verde principles of innovation, proactiveness and flexibility – all the while showing respect for the organisation’s internal and external environment – Terra is sure to make its mark on the sector. www.costa-verde.com