About // The story // Patera Magna // Publications // Lookbook // How it's made // Food Waste // The series // FAQ
Food Waste ReductionThe Poma/Olera series helps you store fruit and vegetables in a better way and avoid food waste.Poma/Olera is latin for Fruit/Vegetable. The series is the result of extensive and ongoing research into the best natural way of storing fruit and vegetables in your own home to keep them fresh and eat them when they're ripe.
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Create the best natural circumstances to store food
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Store separately and shield from ethylene
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Put healthy eating options on a pedestal
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Easily keep track of your fresh stock
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The Poma/Olera storyIn the early summer of 2019, ABN AMRO bank asked to pitch an idea for their DDW Gamechangers pavilion that would help people live a more eco friendly daily life.
While researching the sustainable cause consumer behaviour can directly impact, we learned about the enormous amount of food being wasted: about a third of the worldwide food production will not make it to a plate. We noticed that we too would end up discarding overripe fruit and vegetables. We lacked knowledge about how to store different kinds of produce, and would sometimes forget what we had in stock. The Poma/Olera series, first article being a design fruit bowl,is the result of ongoing and extensive research into storing fruit and vegetables in the best natural way to keep them fresh and top of mind so they last longer and get eaten in time. We won the pitch and after presenting the prototypes at the ABN AMRO Game Changers pavilion during DDW 2019, The Patera Magna was the first available product in the series, the Patera Media was added in the summer of 2021 and more products are currently in development. NB - the pieces are made by hand, due to the overwhelming popularity and subsequential lead times, it is currently not possible to place a new order. |
About the Patera MagnaThe Patera Magna ('Large Bowl' 44x44x30cm) lives up to its name by providing ample space for a variety of fruits and vegetables. It consists of a partly glazed terracotta outer bowl with 5 interchangeable inner compartments to make it possible to separately store different varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables.
The large terracotta outer bowl is partly porous. By filling it with water through the middle spout, the moisture evaporating through the terra-cotta walls will naturally cool the bowl and its contents. Read all about the scientific theory behind evaporation cooling here. Three of the inner compartments come with fitting cover-dishes with handles that stop the spread of ripening gas ethylene, while keeping the stock easily accessible and offering a pedestal for ready-to-grab vegetables. |
The Patera MediaWith the same functions yet a smaller circumference, the Patera Media is the Patera Magna's little sister, a smaller design fruit bowl.
A better fit for many counter tops, the Patera Media (30x30x20cm) has three compartments with two cover-dishes to store your fresh fruit and vegetables separately and uses natural evaporation cooling to keep them fresh for longer. |
As featured in...
"A product that repays for itself" |
"Obst und Gemüse klüger aufbewaren" |
"With a little instinct, a fruit bowl can be composed in such a way nothing will end up in the bin anymore." |
"With the Patera-series you won't ever have to bin overripe fruits and spoiled vegetables again." |
"Food doesn't end up in the bin anymore" |
Poma/Olera
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How it's madeEach Patera Magna & Patera Media is lovingly handmade by Thomas in our studio in Overasselt.
Well-mixed liquid red-backing clay is cast into plaster molds. After a set amount of time the preferred wall-thickness has formed and remaining liquid clay is poured out. The parts are set to dry upside-down for a short period of time, after which the excess brims of the bowls are cut. More drying time is needed: first within the cast, and later with the plaster molds removed. Before the clay has dried completely, Thomas carefully finishes each fragile part by hand with a sponge to smooth out the surface. The bisque firing takes about 24 hours including cooling time. Subsequently the pieces are glazed and fired for a second and final time. Once out of the kiln, Thomas adds the handles and rubber parts, and a brand new Patera is ready to help you waste less fruit and vegetables! |
More on food wasteEvery year, we discard 1/3rd of globally produced food and waste 45% of all cultivated fruit and vegetables (source).
A large part of the waste happens early in the chain due to unfavorable harvest circumstances or bad storage and distribution facilities, but there's still a lot that's down to us consumers, and food being thrown out at the end of the chain is extra wasteful. On average, 29% of fresh fruit and vegetables that (EU) consumers purchase ends up in the bin, contributing to 50% of all household food waste (source). 83% Of the discarded fruit and veg gets binned because overripeness. Often due to lack of decent storage and/or careless handling: dropping everything in that one bowl, keeping all fruits and vegetables in the fridge or simply forgetting what's in stock. The Poma/Olera series is designed to help you store your fruit and vegetables in a better way and help avoid food waste. |
The Poma/Olera series
Patera HerbaThe Patera Herba consists of an inner and outer pot in between which there's space for water. This small design fruit bowl is ideal for fresh herbs.
Water poored in between the walls, slowly permeates through the porous terracotta into the soil. Patera Herba keeps your kitchen herbs thriving! |
Patera DauciCarrots are best kept without their greens and in the fridge.
The Patera Dauci is specially designed to keep carrots fresh and crisp for longer. The rectangular dish is designed to fit a refrigerator shelf and holds a (washable) fitted cloth that can be mae slightly damp and wrapped around a bundle of carrots to keep them hydrated. Also suitable for other root vegetables like parsnip. |
Patera MaturaThe Patera Maturus is perfect for fruits like Avocado: the bowl is spacious enough to store the stock (in the dark), and on the cover dish, underneath the glass bell jar, there's space for the fruits you want to eat first.
Add a little apple next to the avocado underneath the bell jar, and the fruits will ripen faster influenced by the ethylene released by the apple. Keep (overly) ripe fruits away from the main stock and present them on the top dish so you'll know which to eat first. |
Poma/Olera FAQ
Where can i buy the Poma/Olera series?
You can buy the Patera Magna online via the House of Thol webshop.
Every now and then we take part in an exhibition or fair and like to bring the Poma/Olera series with us.
Check out our Calendar to see if we have anything planned near you.
Every now and then we take part in an exhibition or fair and like to bring the Poma/Olera series with us.
Check out our Calendar to see if we have anything planned near you.
What does 'Poma/Olera' mean?
Poma/Olera actually means Fruit / Vegetable in latin!
How long does it take to ship the Poma/Olera series?
Since the first pieces of the Poma/Olera series are hand-made, it takes a while to produce.
Take a lead-time of approximately 16-20 weeks into account for us to finish making your order (we are working hard to bring this down, but have had a lot of orders in the past months).
If you absolutely need to have your order sooner, pop us a little e-mail to let us know you are in a hurry.
We will do our absolute best to make it happen for you!
Because pieces like the Patera Magna bowls are so large and should not be thrown around, we offer the opportunity to pick-up your Patera Magna at our studio in Overasselt (near Nijmegen). We'll show you how and where it's made, and we're all sure the handmade bowl reaches you in one piece.
We can also ship the Patera Magna, although we did have breakage when we first started sending them by mail, we've upgraded the packaging a little, and no more pieces have been broken since then.
Once the product is in the mail, the time it takes to reach your doorstep is depending on where that doorstep is located.
Within the Netherlands it usually takes about a day to arrive, in the surrounding countries a few days, and progressively longer the further your parcel has to travel.
Obviously things like global pandemics can cause delays, but i guess we're all used to that by now.
Take a lead-time of approximately 16-20 weeks into account for us to finish making your order (we are working hard to bring this down, but have had a lot of orders in the past months).
If you absolutely need to have your order sooner, pop us a little e-mail to let us know you are in a hurry.
We will do our absolute best to make it happen for you!
Because pieces like the Patera Magna bowls are so large and should not be thrown around, we offer the opportunity to pick-up your Patera Magna at our studio in Overasselt (near Nijmegen). We'll show you how and where it's made, and we're all sure the handmade bowl reaches you in one piece.
We can also ship the Patera Magna, although we did have breakage when we first started sending them by mail, we've upgraded the packaging a little, and no more pieces have been broken since then.
Once the product is in the mail, the time it takes to reach your doorstep is depending on where that doorstep is located.
Within the Netherlands it usually takes about a day to arrive, in the surrounding countries a few days, and progressively longer the further your parcel has to travel.
Obviously things like global pandemics can cause delays, but i guess we're all used to that by now.
Why is only part of the outer bowl glazed?
The outer bowl of the Patera Magna is partly porous to allow water to evaporate via its walls. This has a slightly cooling effect that can help keep your fruits and veg fresh for longer.
Fill the outer bowel with water through the center spout.
You don't have to have water in the Patera Magna all the time, but it can be helpful in warmer periods or climates.
Fill the outer bowel with water through the center spout.
You don't have to have water in the Patera Magna all the time, but it can be helpful in warmer periods or climates.
Where is the Poma/Olera series produced?
Right now, everything is produced here at the studio in Overasselt.
However, we are frantically trying to find a production partner within Europe to help us make it possible to scale up the production.
However, we are frantically trying to find a production partner within Europe to help us make it possible to scale up the production.
Why can't i buy Patera Magna at a store?
You can't yet, but we're working on it!
Right now, it costs too much time and money to accomodate a store-percentage while still keeping the series affordable.
We're currently trying to find a production partner who can take over the manufacturing and make it possible to scale up the production.
Right now, it costs too much time and money to accomodate a store-percentage while still keeping the series affordable.
We're currently trying to find a production partner who can take over the manufacturing and make it possible to scale up the production.
What pieces of the series are available to purchase?
Right now, that's the Patera Magna + the freshly launched Patera Media (July 2021).
Wait, wasn't it Patera Magnus first?
Yes. Yes, indeed you are right, it was.
We made an error: Since 'Patera' is a feminine word, 'Magnus' should also be written in its feminine form: MagnA.
After consulting with a Doctor in Latin Archeology to make sure we were right this time, we changed it.
Since this was already quite a while after the initial launch, we already got quite a few Patera Magnus mentions in the press.
Better late than never, i guess. ;-)
Don't get confused by it, it's still the same bowl. Just with the right grammar this time.
We made an error: Since 'Patera' is a feminine word, 'Magnus' should also be written in its feminine form: MagnA.
After consulting with a Doctor in Latin Archeology to make sure we were right this time, we changed it.
Since this was already quite a while after the initial launch, we already got quite a few Patera Magnus mentions in the press.
Better late than never, i guess. ;-)
Don't get confused by it, it's still the same bowl. Just with the right grammar this time.
MISSING A QUESTION?
Get in touch and we're happy to help!
In fact, by getting in touch you'll also be doing us a favour, since we can add your question to this list.
In fact, by getting in touch you'll also be doing us a favour, since we can add your question to this list.
