Every so often, we’re shown – or reminded of – something eye-opening that has been right under our nose for some time.
HF Coors, whose history goes back to the early 1900s and is, in fact, tied to the Coors family known for making beer, is a dinnerware manufacturer based in Tucson. But it’s easy to read over the words ‘dinner manufacturer’ and not fully grasp the scope of what HF Coors does.
In the plainest sense, they make plateware: bowls, plates, mugs, and the like. But beyond that, they’re one of the only remaining dinnerware manufacturers in the U.S. What this means is that if a restaurant wants custom plateware, or a plateware designer wishes to have his or her line translated from design to mass production that gets sold in places as common as Target or more fancier boutique shops to everything in between, HF Coors is who they’d need to contact. That is, if the designers wants to have it all made in the United States, they’d contact HF Coors. Over the years, thousands upon thousands of different designs have made their way through the factory, their molds resting upon shelves, ready for the next run.
With operations this massive, you don’t often get to see what happens behind the scenes, but HF Coors offers tours on a weekly basis. They also offer plenty of dinnerware for direct sale – not all of what they make is shipped out for commercial use.
And, of course, with an operation such as this, there’s plenty of imperfections in the final product, but those aren’t included for regular sale. Instead, they’re offered at steeply discounted prices the first Saturday of every month.
If you’re able, head over for one of their tours. It’s an impressive operation that begins with American raw clay – mixed on site – and ends with heavy duty, lead free, beautiful dinnerware.
HF Coors is located at 1600 S. Cherrybell. For information about tours, store hours, and more, visit hfcoors.com.
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