Zaklady Porcelany Stolowej Karolina, based in Jaworzyna Slaska, is a leading Polish tableware manufacturer. After some setbacks in the early 1990s, the company has transformed itself and is now experiencing steady growth.

Zaklady Porcelany Stolowej Karolina is continuing the traditions of the German factory Porzellanfabrik Koenigszelt, established in 1870. The factory was taken over by the Polish state after World War II. In 1954, its ‘Karolina’ trademark was established, under which it still operates today. The company enjoyed significant growth in the 1960s, when new kilns were built and production technology was modernised. The development and investments in modern machinery continued and this, in combination with efficient management, has allowed the company to establish a solid reputation for its high quality tableware.
In an early 1990s referendum, the company’s employees voted for the transformation of the factory into a private company. Its initial capital was PLN 1.05 million and its 21,000 shares were all held by its 630 employees. At first, the employees were obliged to lease the plant’s assets from the Polish state, but in October 1996 all debts were paid off and Karolina became an entirely privately-owned company.
The company now employs 880 people and this number has been maintained for the last few years, whilst output has been growing constantly. In 1994, the monthly output amounted to around 350 tons of articles in five basic shapes, but by 2005 this had increased to 500 tons of articles in more than a dozen shapes made from two different materials. Output currently stands at around 6000 tons of porcelain items a year.
Karolina’s offer includes products in about 30 basic shapes, with a few hundred individual articles (plates, bowls, cups, mugs, saucers, serving dishes, soup tureens, gravy boats, coffee pots and creamers, egg cups, salt and pepper cellars, vases, ashtrays, etc.) and hundreds of different decorations, mostly floral and geometric