Our Story
Oryx evolved from an instinctive 'family project' created during the first 'covid lockdown' in March 2020 when father and son Richard and Henry were sat contemplating another 'restrictive day' ahead, over their morning coffee...
This is us...
Richard and Henry are based in Yorkshire, England. They love great design, they live and breathe it every day, it's what they do and what they enjoy.
He didn't know it at the time but Richard remembers the day that the initial Oryx ideas process started. "It began with a need to replace a couple of old coffee glasses which led me to search for replacements. Coffee has obviously become a big deal over the last 20 years, with more and more fantastic coffee shops opening and the ability to make barista style coffee at home. Like many homes, we have a great coffee machine, so I just wanted to find a something special to drink from every day, I wanted it to enhance that 'daily ritual', to maximise the enjoyment and stimulate the senses like only coffee can. I searched everywhere online and as lock-down lifted briefly I managed to visit several quality stores but I still couldn't find anything different or something really nice to enjoy our morning coffee from. For me, I guess the 'coffee glass search' had become my 'lockdown obsession'"
After a month of research Richard began sketching and suggested to Henry that "perhaps we could create our own". Henry (an Award Winning Industrial Designer), already knew of a potential partner in Austria who he had worked with and who would be perfect to deliver the quality and finesse of glasses that they were envisaging. He says "I guess that's when we both thought the idea had 'legs', especially as my contact in Austria who produces some of the world's finest wine glasses, was very excited about the concepts that we had developed"
Henry then spent several weeks modelling and rendering the sketches and after countless 'zoom' calls with their new partners, the pair agreed final designs, specifications and samples before finally going into production in the summer of 2022.
Richard and Henry share a passion for design and a desire to maximise their enjoyment of coffee.
Our first render versions of what we now know as our Umbria and Eden glasses.
Our inspiration for the Eden Coffee glasses; the 'Luck of Edenhall' which sits in the V&A Museum, London.
The beautiful and revered Arabian Oryx
The stunning Architecture of porticos, windows and doorways found in Assisi and Perugia inspired our design of the contemporary styled Umbria Collection
Medjool Dates with a good strong coffee is a delight!
Why Oryx?
The name and idea for the brand evolved from us wanting to develop a word that was short, different but could also have a sense of care and heritage about it.
Richard lived and worked in Oman during the 90s and through his work was aware of renowned conservation efforts in preserving the Arabian Oryx. Henry was also born in The Sultanate, so the Oryx has held a strong personal connection to the family and seemed to fit the new venture well.
Oman also brought back fond memories for Richard of the coffee ritual he enjoyed whenever visiting Omani homes or businesses; "I remember the moment I tasted my first cup of Qahwa, which is an integral part of the Omani culture and hospitality. The strong cardamon scented coffee would often be served with dates or delicious sweet pastries. As well as the stunning ornate coffee pots, I recall the lovely handle-less porcelain cups which came to mind during the design of our coffee glasses. I remember the rich aromas and feeling the warmth of the cup in my hand which added to this striking sensory experience which again has been the central ethos for our own product design process.”
For the Eden, we took inspiration from the stunning ' Luck of Edenhall ' glass (which now resides in the V&A in London) along with the elegant columns of the Al Alam Palace in Muscat.
Our Umbria glass retains our 'sensory' design values in a more contemporary style which developed from many sources including the architectural influences of the magnificent public stone buildings of the Umbria region in Italy - hence the very appropriate name.