Fable has brought sustainability to the dinner table through its transcendent and eco-friendly tableware. Founded in 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Fable is dedicated to creating products that are both physically and aesthetically durable and long-lasting. Fable currently sells collections of ceramic dinnerware, metal flatware, glassware, and other textiles such as napkins.
Their ceramics are handcrafted in the Central Region of Portugal with equally environmentally friendly partners. These products are all created from recycled ceramics and glazed with lead-free products. Broken glazed ceramics are turned into and reused as concrete. Fable’s flatware is produced entirely by the Herdmar family in Caldas das Taipas in the Northern Region of Portugal. This family-owned business has been producing cutlery since 1911.
Fable’s textiles are made in the Western Region of Belgium in another family-owned environment that has been in operation since 1858. The weaving mill uses biodegradable and recyclable materials. The linens are derived from the flax plant, which is spun into yarn.
Fable is committed to becoming a zero-waste company, and part of this process includes ensuring the sustainability of its packaging. Their packaging is 100% recyclable since they use paper from FSC-certified forests. Their packing peanuts and materials are made from a sustainable bio-film made from potato and maize starch.
Dedicated to transparency, Fable includes cost breakdowns of their collections. They have also made their 2020 Annual Impact Report readily available on their website.
Neha Khoral of Setting Mind interviews Fable’s co-founder and CEO Joe Parenteau to learn more.
Khoral: Why the name ‘Fable’?
Parenteau: Our name is a reference to Aesop’s Fables. More specifically, we were drawn to the fable called The Dove and the Ant, which is what inspired the turtle dove in our logo. It’s moral, the importance of showing kindness to others in order to see it in return, was something we felt aligned with both as individuals and as a brand.
How did you pick the five colours of your tableware?
One of the first colours we ever released in our core collection was Speckled White, followed by Blush Pink. We then added Dove Gray and Midnight Blue to our roster of core colours. Most recently, we launched our limited-edition Beachgrass Green collection as our first seasonal colorway, and we plan to keep launching more seasonal collections in the future. Whether core or seasonal, we aim to make all of our colours versatile enough to fit seamlessly into any space.
How do you promote customer interactions through an online format, especially during the pandemic?
As a direct-to-consumer company, our digital platforms are key to our success—and we’re continuously working to create more content for our customers to engage with, whether it’s through our social channels or through larger digital campaigns.
How did you come across your partners in Portugal? What do they contribute to your Canada-based business?
When we set out to make ceramics, we settled on Portugal—an area that has a long and storied history of working with ceramics. After traveling the country, we settled on a zero-waste maker whose commitment to sustainability felt aligned with our own. Working with recycled clay and local clay from just a few miles up the road, the combination of our maker’s ethical practices and expertise felt like the perfect fit for Fable.
What advice would you give to Canadian sustainable start-ups?
Focus on your customers and what matters to them. Sustainability means so many different things and can vary for different types of companies operating across different industries. At Fable, we learned from our customers what mattered most to them and made sure to include it within our ethos and how we operate.
What is currently inspiring your designs? How does your inspiration shift?
From the start, we’ve wanted our designs to be as timeless as they are modern. By working with high-quality materials and makers who share our earth-first values, our aim is to create tableware that is designed to be loved for years to come in terms of quality, functionality, and style. As we slowly expand into other areas of the home, these principles will continue to inform everything we design.
What does the future of Fable look like?
At Fable, we see a lot of opportunity beyond the dining table, and we plan to continue on our mission to bring elevated home decor into every space of the home—starting with the kitchen. We have a handful of exciting new products being released this year that we can’t wait to share with you, so keep an eye out!
To shop for Fable’s products, visit their website.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
All images in this article are courtesy of Fable unless stated otherwise.
