Maison du Potier

What Maison du Potier does

Maison du Potier is a French non-profit cultural and tourism association (association loi 1901) operating a heritage pottery site in the hameau des Recoins of Le Fuilet, Montrevault-sur-Èvre, Maine-et-Loire. Founded in 1990 on the foundations of the 1988 Village Potier association, it functions simultaneously as a museum, active ceramics workshop, training center, equipment-rental facility, and retail boutique, serving hobbyists, professional ceramicists, school and leisure groups, families, and cultural tourists. The single-site operation is staffed by 7 employees and operates year-round, with extended weekend hours during the July–August exhibition season.

Core offerings span hands-on pottery workshops (wheel throwing and hand-building for adults, children, and families), professional training courses organized in partnership with the CDP 49 cooperative and eligible for OPCO funding, museum visits with live demonstrations, kiln firing services (ROHDE KE 330S electric kiln, 330-litre capacity, up to 1280°C), hourly pottery wheel rental (8 Shimpo RK3E silent wheels), birthday-party packages (Mini'Pot €15/child, Maxi'Pot €20/child), summer animations, and group programs for schools, leisure centers, libraries, and specialized disability structures (IME, SACAT). The site also runs an annual Marché des Potiers attracting approximately 35 ceramicist exhibitors from across France, plus rotating exhibitions such as the 2026 'Territoire de recherche' by guest artist Violaine Ulmer.

Revenue is generated through multiple transactional streams with no online purchasing: workshop fees ranging from €40 (family mini-session) to €360 (four-day intensive) with deposits required, museum admissions at €2–€4, wheel rental at €8/hour and kiln firing at €30–€55 per firing, consignment sales of works by 11 resident ceramicists in the on-site boutique, retail of local Fuilet clay and Grès de Saint-Amand, and two membership tiers (€5 individual support, €35 professional). Distribution is exclusively on-site at Le Fuilet or via the CDP 49 cooperative channel for professional training; all bookings are handled by phone (+33 2 41 70 90 21) or email ([email protected]). The site is operationally anchored by the 49.10-hectare Landes du Fuilet, protected under a 1999 prefectural biotope order and classified as a ZNIEFF, and the association holds the Manufacture de Proximité label awarded in 2022.

Name

Maison du Potier

Legal name

La Maison du Potier

Website

https://maisondupotier.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maison du Potier is a French non-profit cultural association operating a heritage pottery site in Le Fuilet, offering ceramic workshops, professional training, museum visits, equipment rental, and an annual pottery market to hobbyists, professionals, schools, and tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Fuilet (Montrevault-sur-Èvre)

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Workshops and Professional Training: Fees from structured workshops (one-day to multi-day), professional training courses, summer programs, and children's stages. Includes glazing and firing of participant pieces. Revenue is transactional per session with deposits required.
2. Equipment Rental: Wheel rental (8 €/hour) and kiln firing services (30–55 € per firing depending on oven size and temperature) for independent ceramicists and hobbyists. Requires membership.
3. Museum Admissions: Ticketed museum visits with guided tours and demonstrations. Adults 4 €, students/disabled 3.5 €, children (3–16) 2 €, under-3 free. Group visits by reservation.
4. Boutique Sales: Sale of ceramic artworks by 11 resident ceramicists on a consignment or exhibitor basis. Clay, tools, and specialized books are also sold. No online sales.
5. Birthday Parties and Group Events: Birthday packages (Mini'Pot 15 €/child, Maxi'Pot 20 €/child) and group event hosting for adults, children, schools, leisure centers, and specialized structures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Maison du Potier is a heritage pottery center located in Le Fuilet, Montrevault-sur-Èvre, France, operating since 1990 as an association loi 1901. It offers pottery workshops, museum visits, professional ceramicist training, kiln and equipment rental, a boutique, group visits, birthday parties, and events. The structure serves as both a cultural tourism site and a skills-development hub for amateur and professional ceramicists.

Product overview

Maison du Potier operates as a cultural and tourist center in the historic Le Fuilet pottery village, offering a comprehensive portfolio of ceramic arts services. The core offering centers on hands-on pottery workshops and professional training programs, complemented by museum visits, firing services, wheel rentals, and retail operations. The service ecosystem includes age-specific workshops (children, adults, families), specialized group programs (schools, leisure centers, specialized structures), professional development courses covering techniques from porcelain throwing to glaze chemistry, and event programming including exhibitions and the annual pottery market. All services are unified by the site's connection to the village's centuries-old clay mining heritage and natural environment of the Landes du Fuilet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pottery workshops (Stages de poterie)
• Museum visit (Espace Mémoires de terre)
• Professional ceramicist training (Formation professionnelle)
• Equipment rental (Location de matériel)
• Boutique (Boutique associative)
• Events and birthday parties (Événements et anniversaires)
• Group visits (Visites de groupe)
• Professional membership (Adhésion pro)

Quantifiable outcome

• 35 ceramicist exhibitors attracted to annual Marché des Potiers event
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CDP 49 (Coup de Pouce 49)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional training sessions are organized in partnership with CDP 49 cooperative. CDP 49 manages all administrative functions (enrollment, invoicing, funding paperwork) while La Maison du Potier provides the venue, equipment, and instructors. OPCO funding is channeled through this partnership, making it the primary mechanism for reaching professional ceramicists.
• Anjou TourismeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional tourism board promoting the Maine-et-Loire destination. La Maison du Potier is featured on the Anjou tourism platform as a cultural and artisanal attraction.
• Chambre des Métiers et de l'Artisanat des Pays de la LoireminorOthersRegional chamber of trades and crafts, supporting artisanal businesses in the Pays de la Loire region. Connection through the professional ceramicist community.
• Département du Maine-et-LoireminorOthersDepartmental council providing regional support and funding for cultural, heritage, and artisanal initiatives in Maine-et-Loire (49).
• Région Pays de la LoireminorOthersRegional council of Pays de la Loire supporting cultural and economic development projects in the region, including artisanal and craft sectors.
• Montrevault-sur-Èvre (Commune)minorOthersThe host municipality of Le Fuilet. The commune supports the Maison du Potier as a cultural infrastructure and heritage landmark within its territory.
• Mauges CommunautéminorOthersIntercommunality (community of municipalities) encompassing Montrevault-sur-Èvre. Supports local cultural and tourism projects across the Mauges territory.
• ÔsezMaugesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal tourism and economic development initiative promoting the Mauges area. Cross-promotion of Maison du Potier as a tourism destination.
• INRAP (Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives)minorOthersNational institute for preventive archaeological research. Partnership related to the archaeological heritage of the Fuilet pottery village and Landes du Fuilet.
• CPIE Loire AnjouminorOthersCentre permanent d'initiatives pour l'environnement (CPIE) Loire Anjou. Environmental education organization. Partnership related to the natural environment of the Landes du Fuilet and environmental mediation.
• Pôle Métiers d'Art Pays de la LoireminorOthersRegional body promoting crafts and artisanal métiers d'art in Pays de la Loire. Connects Maison du Potier to the broader crafts network.
• Atelier d'Art de FranceminorOthersNational federation of arts and crafts professionals in France. Maison du Potier and its ceramicist members benefit from representation and network access.
• France Tiers LieuxminorOthersNational network supporting 'tiers lieux' — third places combining shared workspaces, community hubs, and collaborative economies. Maison du Potier functions as a communal ceramics workshop.
• Argile BretagneminorOthersRegional ceramics organization in Brittany. Cross-regional partnership connecting ceramicist communities across France.
• Fiducial ExpertiseminorOthersAccounting and expertise firm with a local agency in Saint-Pierre-Montlimart. Provides accounting services to Maison du Potier.
• Garage Notre DameminorOthersLocal vehicle repair garage (Motrio network) in Montrevault-sur-Èvre. Listed as a partner, likely providing sponsorship or logistical support for events.
• Pharmacie CognéeminorOthersLocal pharmacy in Montrevault-sur-Èvre. Listed as a partner, potentially providing sponsorship or in-kind support for events.
• Restaurant Les GourmandsminorOthersLocal restaurant in Montrevault-sur-Èvre. Listed as a partner/sponsor, potentially providing catering for events such as the Marché des Potiers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• La Tuilerie de Puissalicon: Heritage pottery village and craft center in Hérault that preserves a historical tile/pottery site with workshops, demonstrations, and cultural tourism. Closely mirrors the village-potier model combining preserved industrial heritage with public craft programming.
• Musée de la Céramique de Roubaix: Heritage ceramics museum with educational programs, live demonstrations, and artisan connections in northern France. Comparable as a ceramics-focused heritage museum with public engagement programming similar to Maison du Potier's Musée offering.
• Centre Céramique Contemporaine Giroussens / La Maison de la Céramique du Giroussens: Ceramics center in southwest France combining a museum, exhibitions, and hands-on workshops for the public. Direct peer given the same workshop-plus-museum-plus-exhibitions operating model and similar rural-heritage positioning.
• Pôle Céramique Dieulefit-Bourdeaux: Regional ceramics cluster in Drôme combining workshops, museums, artisan residencies, and a ceramics village economy. Structurally the closest French analog to Maison du Potier's model of preserving a historical pottery hub with active artisan community and tourism programming.
• Atelier-musée du Chapeau (Chazelles-sur-Lyon): Heritage craft museum with workshops, live demonstrations, and educational programming built around a historical textile/hat-making tradition. Operationally the same 'living museum + craft school' model applied to a different French craft tradition.

Broad incumbents

• Manufacture et Cité de la Céramique de Sèvres: National porcelain manufacturer and museum combining ceramics production, a heritage museum, and public engagement programs. Operates at much larger scale than Maison du Potier but shares the museum-plus-workshop-plus-production model anchored in a historic ceramics tradition.

Others

• Argile Bretagne: Regional ceramics association in Brittany that Maison du Potier itself partners with. Relevant adjacent peer because it organizes ceramics events, training, and community programs across a French region with similar artisan-development objectives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maison-du-potier

Compliance2 records

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 Maison du Potier