3,000 miles for the perfect tea set!

On a trip to the UK during the first ten days of February, I had the pleasure of visiting the annual Spring Fair in Birmingham, the UK’s largest gift trade show. There I attended a “Meet the Buyer” event hosted by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the British Jewellery and Giftware Federation, which brought multiple small businesses together to meet with UKTI trade officers from over 30 countries in one room to focus on export strategy. I met with companies that have been working with UKTI for a few years now, such as Stitch Design Works, and newcomers like Bohemia, based out of Scotland. All in all it was a successful visit and a great resource for UK companies thinking about which countries they might export to.

After Birmingham, I visited several companies. My first stop was the Emma Bridgewater factory in Stoke-on-Trent. Stoke has long been heralded as the UK’s home of pottery, with the factory bases of big names like Wedgwood located there. My visit to Emma Bridgewater began with an in-depth tour of the factory. The tour participants, a mix of eager Bridgewater collectors and tourists, were able to see every aspect of the pottery creation process from the forming of the clay bowls to the precise painting of each detail by hand. It all seemed quite the feat to us outsiders, but it was all in a day’s work for the employees, some of whom had been mastering their craft in the factory for 30 years.

We finished the day with warm soup and a cuppa in the factory’s cafe, followed by a trip to the on-site shop, where I bought my first tea set (see photo), complete with directions on how to make the perfect brew.

UKTI and the consulate in New York are proud to exhibit the donated pottery from Emma Bridgewater and grateful for the company’s partnering with us in the US. It was a treat to get to see all the work that goes into the business and the finished products. My trip also took me to Scotland and various outposts of Scottish Development International (SDI), where I had back-to-back meetings with companies to discuss their US strategy. If you have an interest in exporting to the US, please feel free to reach out to me at kristie.dagnes@fco.gov.uk. UKTI is able to provide comprehensive market knowledge as well as bespoke research services tailored to your company’s specific needs.