How dinnerware designer turned his side hustle into a lucrative business [Video]

During a typical day at Jono Pandolfi’s Union City, New Jersey, pottery studio, he and his 30-person team unload over a thousand pieces out of their 13 kilns, and ship the plates, bowls and mugs to restaurants and home chefs around the world.

The multitextured dinnerware is sold to and used in hundreds of restaurants and FX’s TV series “The Bear.” Similar largescale collaborations pushed the company into profitability in 2012, but when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down restaurants, Jono Pandolfi Designs expanded its direct-to-consumer offerings, he says.

It was a lucrative move: Now, direct-to-consumer sales represent nearly half of the business’s revenue. At the end of December, the company projected it would bring in over $6.6 million in 2024, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

“I think it’s safe to say that it’s pretty hard for a ceramic artist or someone who studied clay to build a …