Pickard China

What Pickard China does

Pickard China is a family-owned American fine china and porcelain manufacturer and retailer, founded in 1893 and headquartered in Illinois (Antioch per firmographics, with an 847 area code contact line). The company designs, handcrafts, and sells made-to-order dinnerware — including place settings, dinner plates, salad plates, chargers, and salt-and-pepper pieces — across more than 25 patterns ranging from classic (Austin, Birmingham, Georgian, Washington) to contemporary and designer collaborations (Charlotte Moss, Kelly Wearstler, MK Pritzker's Springfield). Its core product is the Signature monogrammed china line, augmented by bespoke custom-order services targeting distinguished clients, awards and gifts, and institutional buyers.

The business operates on a one-time-sale model with no subscription or licensing revenue; pricing is per piece (a disclosed example: Springfield pattern at $19.99/item) and quote-based for custom work, with lead times of 6-8 weeks for patterns and 10-12 weeks for custom orders. Production is handcrafted and made-to-order rather than mass-produced, and the company authenticates its products through registered Pickard trademarks and back stamps.

Pickard distributes through four parallel channels: a direct-to-consumer Shopify e-commerce site (pickardchina.com), a network of authorized dealers accessed via a store locator, company showrooms, and dedicated B2B sales for food service, government, and university clients. It also markets through social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter), wedding gift registries, and editorial press. Documented prestige clients include the Obama White House ('Kailua Blue Obama State China'). The company reports 1-10 employees, is privately held and family-owned, has no outside funding, and operates exclusively in the U.S. domestic market.

Name

Pickard China

Legal name

Pickard China

Website

https://pickardchina.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pickard China is a family-owned American fine china manufacturer, founded in 1893, that designs and handcrafts made-to-order porcelain dinnerware for luxury consumers, weddings, and institutional buyers across the United States, selling direct online, through dealers, showrooms, and dedicated B2B channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Antioch

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fine China and Tableware Sales: Pickard China generates revenue through the one-time sale of made-to-order fine china and tableware products. Customers purchase individual pieces (plates, chargers, accessories) or complete place settings. The company offers both standard patterns and custom/monogrammed china, with different production lead times affecting pricing and order fulfillment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pickard China designs, manufactures, and sells handcrafted fine china dinnerware under its own brand, offering made-to-order pieces, monogrammed china, and fully custom porcelain designs across 30+ named collections. Production is performed at its Illinois factory with standard lead times of 4–6 weeks (retail and monogram) and 6–12 weeks (custom), and the company serves consumers through its website and dealer network as well as institutional buyers in food service, government, and university segments.

Product overview

Pickard China is a family-owned fine tableware manufacturer and retailer operating since 1893, specializing in handcrafted, customizable dinnerware. The core product is the Signature Collection of premium monogrammed china, supported by over 25 distinct patterns including Springfield, Colorsheen, Georgian, and designer collaborations with Charlotte Moss and Kelly Wearstler. The company offers made-to-order production with personalization services (monogramming, custom ordering), product categories across place settings, dinner plates, salad plates, and chargers, and specialized programs for food service, government, university, and corporate award clients. Production times range from 4-6 weeks for standard orders to 10-12 weeks for custom pieces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Charlotte MosscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigner collaboration creating exclusive fine china patterns including 'Charlotte Moss Motif Stag', 'Charlotte Moss Espalier Gold', 'Charlotte Moss South Hampton Gold' collections. The partnership combines Charlotte Moss's design expertise with Pickard's craftsmanship.
• Kelly WearstlercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigner collaboration creating exclusive 'Kelly Wearstler Bedford' pattern collection. Represents Pickard's strategy of partnering with renowned interior and lifestyle designers for premium, exclusive collections.
• Mary Kathryn 'MK' Pritzker (Illinois First Lady)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigned the 'Springfield, The Majestic Oak' pattern featuring oak trees, leaves, and acorns - a nature-inspired collection capturing classic charm with enduring oak tree allure.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Spode: Historic English china maker specializing in patterned dinnerware, Christmas/seasonal tableware, and giftware. Comparable heritage narrative, pattern-led product strategy, and gift/registry customer focus.
• Herend: Hungarian hand-painted porcelain manufacturer selling luxury dinnerware, figurines, and giftware globally. Comparable in handcrafted manufacturing, pattern-based collections, and premium gifting use cases.
• Mikasa: US-based tableware brand offering pattern dinnerware, place settings, and giftware at premium-but-accessible price points. Closely comparable in DTC, department-store, and bridal registry distribution channels.
• Bernardaud: French luxury Limoges porcelain maker with strong designer collaborations and bespoke services for high-end consumers and institutions. Comparable in customization, designer partnerships, and premium/institutional positioning.
• Wedgwood: Iconic British fine china and porcelain brand offering premium dinnerware patterns, place settings, and bespoke services. Directly comparable in heritage positioning, made-to-order customization, giftware focus, and aspirational consumer targeting.
• Lenox Corporation: America's most prominent fine china and tableware brand, selling directly to consumers and through major retailers. Closely comparable in product category (premium dinnerware, place settings, giftware) and target customer (wedding registries, gift-givers, institutions), making it Pickard's most direct US competitor.
• Rosenthal: German premium porcelain and tableware brand with designer collaborations (e.g., Versace, Salvador Dalí collections) and a hospitality channel. Comparable in designer-driven premium collections and B2B hospitality/institutional reach.
• Royal Doulton: British fine bone china brand with strong heritage in formal dinnerware, pattern collections, and giftware. Direct comparable in category, gifting/registry use case, and made-to-order manufacturing model.
• Villeroy & Boch: European premium tableware and porcelain maker with broad dinnerware, giftware, and hospitality lines. Comparable in offering customizable, designer-driven fine china and serving the same luxury consumer and hospitality B2B segments.
• Noritake: Japanese fine china and porcelain manufacturer with strong US presence in formal dinnerware and giftware. Comparable product mix (pattern-based dinnerware, place settings, gold/platinum trim) and similar mid-to-upper price positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pickardchina

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pickard China