CDO’s stoneware
MANILA, Philippines - VISITORS to Cagayan de Oro usually return with pastel (a custard-filled bread), muron, lechon and Malaybalay coffee. But seasoned travelers bring home pottery on which to serve these tasty treats.
“I love stoneware and we have a complete dinner set – plates, cups and saucers, coffee mugs, soup bowls, serving bowls of different sizes and forms, a classic pitcher for homemade hot chocolate drink,” says Didet Danguilian, an information officer of a large company in Manila.
The strange thing is, only a few Cagayenos know about this secret.
The shop, simply known as Stoneware Shop, is located in Barangay Bulua. The road going there is rough and there is no parking area. It looks like a farmhouse from the outside but once you enter, you know you are in for a treat.
The shop was founded in 1994 by Clemens Wirth and Manolo Glema. It was called Glema Stoneware Ceramic Craft Ltd. Co. But Glema decided to strike it on his own in 2002 and left the company to set up his own ceramic business. Now this German-Filipino joint venture is a corporation.
According to one of the workers there, the wonderful creations do not have a signature at the bottom because they are supposed to be utilitarian.
But they are great pieces, sturdy and up to par with most European crockery.
As it turns out, the clay comes from Germany. Many of the pieces are also exported back there.
Most of the works are indeed dinnerwares but there are some quirky stuff being made too, like bells, cats, coconuts and chimes.
There are even German steins personalized as wedding souvenirs. Some of the local shops also have their logos imprinted as personal souvenirs.
The wares are surprisingly heavy and durable. Add to that the fact that they were expertly glazed and formed.
So if you chance upon going to Cagayan de Oro, look for that quaint pottery shop and get a load of stuff more lasting than the city’s culinary delights.
