When a Liberal Starts a Company

Wonderful Things Happen

I was fortunate during my career to have several mentors. One piece of advice stood out:

First, take care of your people. Then, take care of your customers. If you do that, the business metrics will take care of themselves.

It was great advice. And, it appears José Ferreira Pinto Basto knew this when in 1824 he founded the Porcelain Factory of Vista Alegre.

One heck of a kiln.

Last Week’s Travels

We traveled all last week. We took a bus (7€/pp) from Cascais to Porto on Sunday (20 June), then a train to Aveiro (5,80€/pp) (on the 23rd), then another train to Coimbra (5,40€/pp)on Friday (the 25th). Denise scolded me because at no time did I remember to ask for the senior discount which would have cut our train tickets in half. We arrived in Aveiro late in the day because we wanted to meet Mike and Mary who had arrived the day before from Indiana, starting their D7 journey in Porto. Mike had reached out to me a few months back and we kept in touch as they worked through the process. I love being contacted by readers…and am so excited to have new friends living in Portugal. Mike and Mary have a food and travel blog, that they recently restarted to document their latest adventure. Check it out. And if you are interested, you can subscribe here.

Nadia explaining the history of Ovos Moles, an Aveiro pastry.

Aveiro Walking Tour

I signed up for a free walking tour in Aveiro through Guruwalk. Our guide Nádia was first-rate. In retrospect, I wished I had done the same in Porto. While we spent the same amount of time in both places, I came away feeling I learned and enjoyed our time in Aveiro more. Lesson learned! Anyway, while Nádia introduced us to the history and architecture of Aveiro (which I will share in a future post) she also gave us some background on Vista Alegre…a famous Portuguese porcelain firm that is located nearby. We were first introduced to their work when we found a tea set at a store in Cascais. We loved the old-world charm, mixed with a modern take on the Portuguese sidewalks.

As you run your fingers across the pieces you can feel the raised cobblestones. This is painted…not a stencil, thus the price.

While many people think of Vista Alegre as coming from Aveiro, it is actually from the small town of Ílhavo just a short distance away. A town that was built by this porcelain and glass factory. So Friday morning, before departing for Coimbra we took an Uber (8€) to their factory and museum.

A 19th Century Liberal

Vista Alegre was founded by a wealthy, progressive businessman, José Ferreira Pinto Basto:

A prominent figure in 19th century Portuguese society, an agricultural landowner and daring merchant, he wisely incorporated the century's liberal ideals, having become "the first example of free enterprise" in Portugal. - Vista Alegre

A creche, Portuguese pre-school on the factory grounds.

In 1816 Pinto Basto purchased the Vista Alegre Chapel and surrounding land on which the factory stands to this day. We learned from Nádia, that Pinto Basto took care of his employees. He offered on-site daycare for his workers and built a school. We built the town and charged the workers the equivalent of one day’s wage for rent. There is even a Theatre, still in operation, on the grounds of the factory.

Capela Vista Alegre

While the company experienced many high points and their work was recognized for its quality across Europe, it was not always an easy road. Things improved when in 1924 João Theodoro Ferreira Pinto Basto was named Managing Director. The mid-1900s saw an increase in exports. While more specialized technical staff and equipment improvements were made in the factory, the focus on quality never waivered. Vista Alegre has made pieces for the Queen of England and has been displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Pallazo Reale in Milan.

One of many commemorative pieces on display.

The 3€ Tour

Denise bought our tickets to enter the museum and the chapel. She remembered to ask for a senior discount, so we paid only 3€ each. The chapel includes blue and white tiles dating back to 1684 created by the Spanish painter Gabriel del Barco. There is a sculpted tomb that was carved by Claude Laprade of Provence. And frescos and murals, of course, adorned with gold leaf, that is also attributed to Gabriel del Barco.

The museum takes you through the process of making these delicate ceramics, the evolution of the business, and the many honors they have received. As someone that dabbled in ceramics, and who enjoyed working with porcelain, I enjoyed both the technical information and the displays. As I always struggled with glazes, I was particularly impressed by the factory “painting room” (photos are forbidden) where skilled craftspersons silently labor over each piece providing the finest of details.

Dome of the central nave … tree of Jesse.

Of course, there is a store and even an outlet store on site. Perhaps one day when we settle down, in our own place, we will treat ourselves to something special. Though with so many wonderful pieces, it will be difficult to choose just one.

Note: More pics are available on my Facebook page.