We had the good fortune of connecting with Kate Mellinger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Most tableware brands in the US still expect shoppers to buy in large sets of 8-12 place settings and reserve more fun and vibrant glazes for summer or seasonal collections that don’t restock, leaving shoppers on their own should they break or need to grow their set.

On my first visit to Portugal I learned all about the history and quality of Portuguese stoneware, and was lucky enough to visit a factory seconds store where they sell every type of glaze and shape you can imagine, and offer customers the opportunity to mix and match to curate their own personal collection. I realized we had nothing like this in the US, and poured myself into researching how department and larger brands purchase their tableware collections, data from Pinterest and Etsy on search volume related to mix and match ceramics, and shape and glaze testing with our partner in Portugal.

The goal of Sojourn is to elevate the everyday with unique ceramics that can be mixed and matched to create your own collection. All of our ceramics feature the Portuguese quality that I initially fell in love with: ultra durable, microwave, dishwasher, and over safe up to 450, and crafted by hand.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My first job out of college was actually with the FDIC, auditing banks and spending most of my time in financial statements. I later joined an early-stage tech company as the second employee, then again with another startup that ultimately was acquired in 2023. While the FDIC taught me financial diligence and how to speak “finance”, my experience in tech was the most rewarding and accelerated my comfort level with sales, operations, and most importantly just being scrappy and getting things done.

Sojourn started as a daydream years ago and grew into a creative outlet and brand vision that I was so excited (and scared) to launch. Luckily we have an incredible team of women behind the Sojourn and the brand concept landed so well with our core audience. Since launching last year, we’ve become the defacto option for iconic restaurants, are carried in amazing retailers nationwide, and have continued to grow our online presence and digital footprint. This year we’re most excited to move into our larger warehouse in Fort Lauderdale and open up our retail showroom so that customers and designers can shop in person…and so we can continue to host events that we’ve become known for!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite places in Miami right now are Tam Tam and La Natural for dinner, late night drinks at lagniappe or broken shaker.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
All of the amazing woman that make Sojourn the vibrant brand it is today (Alex, Abby, Jess, and my mom!), the amazing businesses local to FTL that hosted our first events (Small Wine Shop & Community Garden Center), and so many of our early customers and South Florida community that make our pop-up events so fun!

Website: sojournpottery.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sojournpottery/

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