History
"The company originated in 1965 as Sial (meaning "the earth's crust"), when three well-known professional potters, Beaudin, Pierre Legault and Bertrand Vanasse, formed an association to sell clay and glazes to local potters. Inspired by a report from the federal Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce identifying stoneware dinnerware as a growing market, they founded Sial II to fill that niche. Awarded a provincial grant, they built a large plant with the latest machinery and clays and opened a warehouse in Albany, New York. Sial exported to Europe under the trademark Serval. Design Canada undertook a product design case study promoting the company’s successful synthesis of craft and industry. Beaudin served as the company’s mastercraftsman, developing dozens of moulds to find the right design that looked handcrafted but could withstand the requirements of modern living. Beaudin’s work for Sial was controversial among the craft community, and he later claimed that he felt "like a defrocked priest.” Sial I continues to operate as a distributor of clay materials."