The manufacture of Soufflenheim pottery follows the know-how of the ancestors. Thus, the whole process is carried out by hand in the workshops of potters in Alsace.

STEP 1: extraction and preparation of the clay

The clay is extracted from the forest of Haguenau in Alsace.. On creuse dans la terre jusqu'à 8 mètres de profondeur. Une fois les travaux terminés, la carrière est remise en état.

Après l'extraction, l'argile est stockée dans une cave. Avant utilisation, on la prépare en la passant dans un malaxeur et un purificateur. L'argile en ressort en un bloc prêt à l'emploi.

STEP 2: turning and calibration

Depending on the desired shape, the part passes either on the lathe or on the machine for calibration.

The lathe is used for round shapes: pots, casseroles, bowls, jugs...

For the turning stage, it requires a lot of skill on the part of the potter who shapes the clay ball to obtain the desired shape.

While the calibration is rather used to make complex pieces such as the baeckeoffe terrine, the paschal lamb mold (lammele), inside the kouglopf mold...

To refine the molds, finishes are applied to remove any excess and to round the edges. Finally, the pottery stamp is affixed.

ETAPE 3 : engobage et décoration

During the engobing step, the interior and exterior color of the mold is applied. To do this, we immerse the room in a color or we water it with a ladle as appropriate.

Once the color has dried, the decorations are applied by hand. The decorations are specific to each pottery. Thanks to the skillful hand of the potters, the patterns are drawn freehand using a barolet (terracotta container fitted with a quill pen).

It is left to dry for 1 to 3 weeks.

STEP 4: varnishing

The part is dipped in a white varnish. It is this step that gives luster to the pottery after firing.

STEP 5: cooking

Now the mussels are ready to be cooked. They are stacked on trays at several levels in order to optimize the space in the oven.
The pottery is fired in a single firing for 15 hours at around 1000 ° C

STEP 6: removal

Discharging is an important moment in the manufacturing process. It is the culmination of a work of several weeks. Each part is checked one by one to see if there are any anomalies.

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The pottery is now ready to be sold and used in homes.