While researching for our Gamechangers design last year, we found out that about a third of the worldwide food production will not make it to your plate. 
About a third of all produce is wasted! 

Although a large part of this waste is early in the chain due to unfavorable harvest circumstances or less than great storage and distribution facilities, there's still a lot that's down to us consumers.

And food being wasted at the end of the chain, when so much energy has been used to get it transported, sorted, cleaned, packaged and in your house, is even more unfortunate.  

In the Netherlands we throw out approximately 34 kilo's of food per person each year. (source: Voedingscentrum)
34 kilograms!
What a waste! 
​Not only because this is costing us about €120,- a person every year, but also because of the loss of valuable resources and energy.

We designed the Poma/Olera (Fruit/Green) series: a series of products (vessels) that help store fruits and vegetables in a better way and avoid food waste.

During the design process we extensively researched how to store fresh fruits and vegetables after bringing them home.
Which fruits and veggies should be kept in a fridge, and which should definitely not? What kinds of fruits need a dry space, and which types should you keep slightly damp?
We touched on all the kinds of fruits and vegetables we normally use in our own household, and collected a ton of knowledge.

Everything we learned is incorporated in our Poma/Olera designs, but to use them correctly, it is valuable to know more about the best way to store the types of fruits and vegetables you usually buy.

Below you'll find a preview of what we discovered during our research.
In the coming months we'll extensively share what we found out about storing your fruits and vegetables in a better way and keeping them fresh for longer, with or without the Poma/Olera series. 

Patera Magnus is a large terra-cotta fruit and vegetable vessel, consisting of 9 separate ceramic parts.
Did you know that right now we produce all Patera Magnus bowls by hand in our studio in Overasselt (near Nijmegen)?

We are planning on finding a manufacturer for the Patera Magnus soon.
Yet as demand for the design is so high, we did not want to keep you waiting and started production in our workshop. 

Let me take you with me into the process of making the molds and producing the Patera Magnus bowls, starting all the way from sketch and computer drawing to the finishing touches of the final product.

Just to have all the steps to this process, let me take you with me to the very beginning of the Poma/Olera series: the ABN AMRO pitch to design a sustainable solution for an everyday situation. 
​
We noticed that we often throw out fruits and vegetables because they turned, and found out that throwing out fresh food is a widespread problem. 

We thoroughly researched the ideal way of storing different kinds of fruits and vegetables, and looked into food storing methods in history and other cultures.

Amongst other things, we came across the idea of a 'zeer pot': a way of keeping vegetables fresh in hot conditions by storing them in a large double-walled terracotta pot filled with wet sand between the walls, making use of evaprative cooling.

The zeer pot idea in hand, we added another thing we discovered research: it's better to store different kinds of fruits and vegetables separate from one another, so ethylene gas from ripening fruits wouldn't negatively impact other fresh produce.

After preliminary sketches by hand, we made computer drawings of the design, and after many, many, many small adjustments, made 3D prints of all the components.

After finishing and preparing the printed components by hand, we used them to make plaster molds.

These molds can be used to slipcast liquid clay: after pouring the clay into the mold, the plaster walls extract moisture from the mixture, creating a thickening layer of clay 'slip' against them.

After a set amount of time, the mold is emptied of the remaining liquid clay, leaving behind a perfect cast of the inside of the mold.  

The slipcasting might not be a difficult process, you have to stay focused throughout working with the liquid clay: too long in the mold and the walls become too thick, which can cause problems while drying.
Not enough time, or a mold that was still wet from a last cast, and the walls are too thin, with a large chance the bowl will crack or warp.

After pouring out the remaining clay, the bowls are set to dry upside down: first within their cast, and later with the plaster mold removed.

After carefully finishing each bowl by hand, everything is fired in the kiln for the first time.

This is the moment the clay is at its most fragile. Especially the large outer bowl is a challenge to dry and finish without creating cracks or bumps.
Once the terracotta is fired for the first time, it is a lot easier to handle.

A layer of glaze is added, and all components go back into the kiln for a second slightly higher firing.

When all components are finished and fired twice, the Patera Magnus is ready to be assembled.
We start with the right fit: double checking to see if none of the components warped or bended during the finishing and firing process.

If everything fits snugly, we make the laminated oak handles and attach them with the brass book screws.
After adding the rubber strips and elastic bands, the Patera Magnus is good to go!

Obviously, with so many steps going into the production of the Patera Magnus vessels, things go wrong occasionally. 
​
After a rought start in February and March, we developed a feeling for the process, and things started to run more smoothly.

​However... when Covid hit, we found time slipping through our fingers and hardly an opportunity to work on the Patera Magnus production with the focus and attention it needs.

Luckily we're back in the workshop now, and working towards finishing every Patera Magnus with the love and dedication it deserves.

With new orders coming in regularly, we will keep production running throughout summer -save for a little two week break in July-.

Waiting for the Patera Magnus you ordered?
We're delivering everything according to order date.
Feel free to get in touch if you want to know more! 

<Read more about the Poma/Olera series>
or
<Order your hand made Patera Magnus now>

You see that? >>>
That's the inside of our kiln.
The kiln we got for prototyping and producing small products like the Waterworks cones.
Not for a full-fledged production of large interior products.

The sweet kiln has been firing our terracotta and porcelain projects without problems for 6 years, until it didn't...

Large bowls started to crack by the end of August. We figured it had to do with the insane heatwave we were experiencing: the slipcast clay drying out too fast.

Or maybe it was the mold that was the problem? We started up production for a new mold.

After a few weeks and losing 7 large bowls in either the first or second firing, we found out the problem was with the kiln: one of the heating spirals had broken, resulting in an uneven heat distribution throughout the kiln and breaking large bowls.

Well... it's fixed now and we're back into production, so hopefully we'll be on the delivery track again soon.

​Get in touch for questions!

Did you spot us in the FD Persoonlijk of June 6th?
FD Persoonlijk is the weekend magazine of the FD, the Dutch Financial Newspaper.
We're very happy with the lovely story Elsbeth Grievink wrote about our Poma/Olera series!

Read the full (Dutch) piece on the photograph.
We cleaned it up a bit to make it easier to read.
​
Thank you for sharing FD Persoonlijk and Elsbeth Grievink!

Last year we were part of the ABN AMRO Gamechanger experience. 
With the help of ABN AMRO we developed the Poma/Olera series, which we got to showcase at the central Ketelhuisplein during the Dutch Design Week.

A few months later ABN AMRO got in touch again to see if we would be willing to be part of a short video about the banks' sponsorship approach.

We had an exciting day of filming back in January (click), and we're super happy to be able to show the first results!

Film made by Freek Zonderland together with wirtzfilm

This film is also made with passion by:
Composer Mark Pütz
VO Sharon Harman
Sound Design & Mix Freek Philippi
Editor Kees Riphagen
Light, Grip & additional camera Stijn Jonkhart
Sound Sam Huisman
1st AC Jk Dibbets
2nd AC Joost Kelderman

It's there!
Patera Magnus can now be ordered via our webshop.

After launching the prototypes late last year, we received so many requests from you about when the Poma/Olera series would be for sale.

And we listened! The Patera Magnus can be ordered on our webshop now.

We're currently producing the Poma/Olera series by hand in our studio in Overasselt (near Nijmegen), so take a lead time of 3-4 weeks into account when placing your order.

Other pieces of the series will be added in due time.
The Poma/Olera series will not be available for wholesale (yet).

Read all about it here 
and
order here!

When launching our Poma/Olera series during the last Dutch Design Week (read all about it here) we had a lovely chat with journalist Jasmijn Missler of Dutch newspaper Trouw. 
Although this hasn't boiled down to a 'real' article in the newspaper yet, we're happy to get a little mention in this piece about food waste. 
Check it out here:

In the article the Poma/Olera is mentioned briefly and described as a fruit bowl making it possible to keep different kinds of fruit and vegetables in separate compartments to avoid them being subject to the ethylene gas emitted by ripening fruits like apples and bananas.
Which is, of course, very true.
​
But the Poma/Olera series has more dimensions than just separating different fruits.

The fruitbowl also has multiple presentation platters for fruits that should be eaten first, while also serving as a lid  keeping the stock below in a dark and slightly cooler (due to evaporation cooling) space.

Also part of the series is ripening bowl Patera Maturus which uses ethylene gas emitted by certain fruits to speed up the ripening process of other varieties like avocado or mango.

The reason we're expanding a little on the subject, is because later on the article mentions a couple of things you can do to keep fruit and vegetables fresh for longer and Poma/Olera pretty much covers them all.

Happy to know our extensive homework during the research phase paid off ;-).

<Read all about Poma/Olera>

A month ago Today, Eindhoven was the worlds' epicenter of design, and slap bang in the main square of all Dutch Design Week festivities was a large white box stating "Design bepaalt de koers", Dutch for "Design sets the course".

​The box was a temporary building designed to represent a blank sheet ready for a the first draft of a new design, and was commissioned by Dutch bank ABN AMRO.
​For 9 days this pavilion was the home of 4 Game Changers: designs that can help us live more sustainably daily lives.

​One of those Game Changers: our Poma/Olera series.
Brandbase and ABN AMRO gave us the opportunity to come up with a solution for everyday fruit and vegetable storage. 
(More about the origins of Poma/Olera can be found here)

Our design was accompanied by the Transformer table (getting better with age), a candle using fat from a water sanitation plant and a filter that takes out the micro-plastics from your washing machine waste water.  

The ABN AMRO Game Changers exhibition was set up as an experience: up to 15 visitors accompanied by a host would be guided along the 4 different Game Changers with a professional voice-over and well timed lighting schedule.

This meant that as a visitor of the Game Changers Pavilion you really experienced design, rather than simply looking at it. Something very different to most other exhibitions and very professionaly executed.

Because of the voice-over directing the pace of the little tour, people didn't really have the time to linger around our work and take photographs to share online.
That's why we snuck in before the show started to get a few pics of the Poma/Olera presentation.

Having ABN AMRO backing our project meant that we reached audiences we probably would have missed otherwise.

We were very happy we got to tell about House of Thol to a professional audience during a Sustainable investment event and expanded our network tremendously.
​
Apart from an interview with a journalist from a national newspaper that will hopefully be published in a few months, we had a lovely chat with Francis of Sublime radio, which let into our 60 seconds of radio fame that you can listen to here.

Not being able to stand next to our designs was new to us, and made for a refreshingly laid back Dutch Design Week.

It also meant we missed out on a lot of direct response to our Poma/Olera series, and that's kind of a shame.
We love getting into conversation about our designs, to clarify the decisions we made and brainstorm about future possibilities.
​Luckily a lot of people still managed to reach out to us and tell us what they thought about Poma/Olera via e-mail and social media

Most heard response was: "When will the series be for sale?" and "Where can i get a Poma/Olera fruit bowl?".

​With so many specific requests, we're happy to get a move on: We'll be producing a small Poma/Olera series in house meant for direct sales on the short term, while at the same time diving deeper into terracotta production possibilities as close to home as possible.
We're not in this alone: Fonds Kwadraat is helping us with the next step.

We've currently set the price of a large Poma/Olera bowl (Patera Magnus) at €195,-. 
Production will take approximately 4-6 weeks.

Interested in keeping your fresh food fresh?
Get in touch!​

Sublime is a Dutch radio station all about soul, funk and jazz. Aside from music, they feature a super cool side step into sustainable and social progress every hour called 'Nieuws van de vooruitgang' (news of progress).

Listen to the (Dutch) piece here >
Sander and Francis zoom in on the Dutch Design Week fairly quick, and the Poma Olera series is the first project  discussed.

More can be found on Sublimes website.

For more information about the Poma/Olera, click here.

It all started with a phonecall in June: ABN AMRO was looking for designers to come up with a sustainable solution for everyday situations, and if we could pitch an idea in July?

Since our House of Thol slogan is 'Durable products for easy green living' of course we had to participate!
We had a few ideas up our sleeve that could perhaps impact a marker like Earth Overshoot Day.

We took a close look at our own day-to-day and found plenty of things that we still can do better.
​One of the things that's a real problem, is food waste: with two young kids with fluctuating appetites in the house, we can't help but throw out food ever so often.
Such a waste! Not only because of the money, but also because of the resources we waste.

And this goes beyond our household: in the Netherlands we throw out 34 kilograms of food each per year, and globally one third of the food produced is wasted.
That's about 1.3 billion tons!
​
If we could save only a quarter of that amount, we could feed every hungry mouth in the world (source). 

Bringing it back to our own small household: what can we do to avoid food waste in our daily lives?
We noticed we often have trouble with fruits and vegetables: what is the best way to store them, so they stay fresh for longest and we don't have to throw out wrinkled bell peppers?

Turns out not every fruit and vegetable plays nice with others, so keeping them all together in one large fruit bowl might not be such a great idea: the ethylene coming from fruits like apples can negatively impact the taste or ripeness of other fruits in the bowl.
Anyway, learning about the best way to store fresh food involved a whole lot of research (spreadsheets, seriously) that deserves its own blog post soon.

Back to the process: We presented our plans in Amsterdam in July and the day after our meeting with the jurors we drove off to the Schwarzwald in a 42°c heat and two eager little boys in a car without airconditioning.

We spent two blissful weeks of summer break, and got the phonecall with the final go for our Poma/Olera project while en route.

These past months, ever since returning home from our break, have been all about Poma/Olera. 

The design changed somewhat from the first drafts and we created a series of round vessels specifically designed to store fruits and vegetables in a better way.

The making process involved a lot of sketching,computer drawing, 3d printing, mold making, clay casting, finishing, failing, doing it again, changing the molds, recasting, firing the kiln, glazing tests, new glazing tests, production, production, production.
​
Well, your typical design process, really.

We're super happy and proud to be able to showcase the first prototypes of our Poma/Olera series at the Game Changers Pavilion on the Ketelhuisplein during this Dutch Design Week.
We'd love to see you there!