Decopot Ltd was established by Paul Pepworth in 1994. Decopot now operates from highly customised premises in Palmerston North with contributions from a team of skilled and dedicated craftspeople.

The early years had a strong focus on Bisque tableware production by RAM pressing. Products were supplied to the (then) fashionable hand-painted pottery sector and the many ‘paint-your-own’ studios that sprung up around New Zealand.

Production and sale of CLAYBRIGHT Underglazes, with the assistance of Bruce and Gail Walford was a natural progression for the bisque-only business.

Production and sale of Primo Clay bodies and Primo casting slip followed the purchase of Decopot’s current premises in 2003.

The purchase of intellectual property from Western Potters Supplies in 2009 led to the design, production and sale of Abbots Midfire Glazes including re-designed versions of old favourites Abbots Clear and Abbots White.

In 2015 Decopot entered into a Contract manufacturing with Stevens Homewares to produce the Bayly&Collis brand of rustic tableware. In the same year Decopot’s long-standing contract to produce bisque shapes for the iconic Temuka Pottery led to the outright purchase of that business which is now operated entirely from Palmerston North.

Since 2018 Decopot has produced bespoke tableware for their customer The Alchemist’s Table who are placing the work in some of New Zealand’s best restaurants. 

Decopot has collaborative and supply arrangements with numerous offshore companies. Bisque items not compatible with ram pressing are manufactured to our specification by a small family pottery in China. Raw materials and pigments are imported from suppliers in Britain, Germany, Spain, South Africa, China and Taiwan.

One of the most important of these relationships is with Sibelco Germany which supplies the Primo-Pro branded clay bodies.