A recently launched Australian supplier of German brand, Denk Ceramics, is bringing the handmade products to the southern hemisphere for the first time.
Denk products—which include baking dishes, lighting, wax burners, outdoor braziers and orchid pots—have been handmade in Germany since 1964 from four kinds of weatherproof ceramic.
All items come with a 15 year warranty and the Australian importer, Joerg Rockstroh, says it is the products’ durability that makes them perfect for the Australian market.
“With an emphasis on outdoor living in Australia, the products fit nicely into this lifestyle,” he says. “There is nothing like Denk products in the marketplace. This enables retailers to extend the range they can offer to their customers.”
All Denk products are designed to be functional, sustainable and durable, and Rockstroh says the company believes that ‘beauty and goodness must radiate from within’. To follow this principle, the brand focuses on protecting natural resources and keeping operations local using artisanal techniques.
“They prioritise honesty, quality and durability over short-term pursuit of profit,” he says. “As the importer we will follow these principles.”
Although Denk products are manufactured just a few kilometres from Rockstroh’s hometown in Northern Bavaria, he didn’t come across the brand until 2012, when he fell in love with a wax burner his father had purchased. From there, his love for the brand snowballed until he finally decided to begin importing the products to Australia in 2015.
“At first I thought it was a crazy idea, but after sleeping on it for a few nights I decided to give it a go. Denk products are so unique with nothing similar in the market; I knew I would regret not giving it a go.”
The products will be on display for the first time at the Sydney Home & Giving fair this February, and Rockstroh is eager to connect with retailers and grow the brand.
“We would like to establish a wholesale business for many years to come working with our stockists to showcase the unique ceramic goods handmade in Germany.
“This is why we decided to attend the show and put our best foot forward.”
The first products will be available in mid-January.
By Ruth Cooper
