What 麻豆传媒映画 wrongly refer to as a bol breton (bowl from Brittany), edged in blue and with a handle on each side, is actually called a bol 脿 pr茅nom (bowl with a name).
It originated a few hundred kilometres south in the Vend茅e.
Since production began there in the 1930s, these characterful bowls have become a staple of French cabinets and breakfast tables 鈥� often used for hot chocolate for children 鈥� and have travelled across the world.
Family members generally have their own, with each bowl bearing a first name on the outside and a motif inside.
Globalisation has forced many manufacturers to outsource production overseas, turn to other activities or shut down completely, but the Cado family, owners of the Nistar company, are among the last in the industry to produce bowls that are handmade at each stage of production.
They bought the original factory of Yves and Marcel Boutain in 2002. These brothers were the first to add names to traditional Breton bowls when, in 1936, they turned the family-owned shop into a ceramics workshop in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, a small town on the Atlantic coast south west of Nantes.
These days, the Cado family runs a healthy business, having evolved from the original blue bowl and limited painting variations to offer every name or phrase imaginable, a handful of different colours, and more diverse regional motifs than those popularised in Brittany, where bols 脿 pr茅nom spread.
How are the bowls made?
鈥淭he manufacturing process is very long,鈥� said Claude Cado, co-owner of the 850m虏 Nistar factory.
It starts with a piece of clay that is shaped into a bowl and left to dry for several weeks.
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Next comes what is known as 茅产补惫耻谤补驳别, a technique aimed at neatening any rough edges to give the bowl a smooth shape, before the handles are attached.
The bol 脿 pr茅nom became known as a bol breton because so many of them were produced in factories in Brittany in the 1950sNistar
The bowl is then fired at 1,000C for eight hours and left to cool for 36 hours before designs can be painted on to the bottom and side of the bowl in a process known as 茅尘补颈濒濒补驳别 (glazing).
Afterwards, the bowl is fired for a second time at 1,050C.
Mr Cado said other companies now outsource a lot of production to China, North Africa, Spain and Portugal, and use transfer printing for the designs rather than doing it by hand, because it is cheaper.
Similar styles of bowl (that replace names with words and slogans) are also mass-produced, imported from abroad, and sold in supermarkets across the region.
鈥淧eople are no longer interested in the craft, although it is fascinating,鈥� said Mr Cado.
The bowls used to be made with a distinctive red clay from a nearby family-owned quarry.
The Boutain brothers initially produced two types of bowls, one with and one without handles 鈥� called oreilles (ears) in French. When the bowl with handles grew popular, they ditched the other model and concentrated on these.
Mr Cado said the bol 脿 pr茅nom eventually became known as a bol breton because so many of them were produced in factories in Brittany in the 1950s, and because the Boutain brothers were not involved in marketing.
No intellectual property patent was filed, leaving other firms free to copy the bowl or make their own versions.
Nowadays, Nistar鈥檚 administrative operations are run by St茅phanie Cado with father Claude and wife Nelly Cado helping out in production.
Arnaud Cado, Stephanie鈥檚 brother, oversees the manufacturing process.
This explains the inspiration behind the company name: Ni for Nicolas, St for St茅phanie, and Ar for Arnaud.
He graduated from the Manufacture et Mus茅e nationaux in S猫vres, Hauts-de-Seine, one of the principal European porcelain factories and the only establishment left in France to teach the craft.
Nistar employs four other workers 鈥� three to help with painting and one assisting Arnaud Cado in production.
What are the different designs on offer?
The variety of bowls has grown from the blue-layered 鈥楴inette鈥� to feature yellow, red, pink and green.
Designs have similarly multiplied from depictions of the traditional bigouden headdress 鈥� the tall lace bonnet worn by Breton women 鈥� to include scenes such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame.
Personalisation has also become key to the company鈥檚 survivalNistar
Personalisation has also become key to the company鈥檚 survival.
鈥淭here are countless different spellings of names like Thibaud or Matteo,鈥� said Mr Cado.
He said Emma and Jade were among the most popular female names, with Benjamin and Nathan for their male counterparts.
Nistar even produces bowls with phrases such as 鈥業 love you Dad/Mum鈥� or pet names for lovers such as choupinette and ma grosse caille, from 鈧�10.80.
The company produces 80,000 handmade bowls a year, or 2,000 bowls a week.
鈥淭here are few opportunities to take a breath,鈥� St茅phanie Cado said.
The Fa茂encerie Henriot in Quimper and the Fa茂encerie de Pornic are two other renowned producers of these bowls.
Nistar hopes to obtain the Entreprise du patrimoine vivant status 鈥� an official label given by the state to companies to acknowledge excellence in specific crafting skills 鈥� but the process is 鈥渧ery, very long鈥�, said Ms Cado.
