From clay
to glaze
I am Sofie Goethals, the woman behind SOGO. Born in 1985, happily married, and a mom to two fantastic children.
My first pot and glaze
My ceramics adventure began in 2016, completely unexpectedly. On an impulse, I signed up for a pottery class with Jan Welffens, my mom's second cousin.
There I first discovered the peace (and sometimes frustration) that clay brings. By the end of that year, throwing on the wheel and developing glazes had become a bit of an addiction.
A few lessons a year were no longer enough, so I set up my first own wheel throwing and glaze studio in our basement.
From production potter to glaze expert
Since 2021, I've been working full-time as a ceramist, and I now dare to call myself a glaze expert.
I started as a production thrower and made tableware for companies, catering, and people who love nice tableware. Glaze development always remained an important part of my job.
As a former scientist, my hunger for knowledge and my desire to share it continued to grow. I wrote the glaze book "Glashelder over glazuur" (Glazes uncovered) in 2024. I still don't know how I managed to finish it in six months, but I am proud of it. So far, more than 2500 copies have been sold.
SOGO today
In 2025, I moved to a large workshop in Deurne, where I have more space for raw materials, production, and storage.
Today, together with my first employee Annick, I am fully dedicated to the development and production of glazes and tools for potters, which I sell through my webshop and ceramic stores.
In addition, I also give glaze workshops with great passion and enthusiasm, both in Belgium and abroad.
