The Story Behind the Pig Teapots

How I Began Investigating Pigs

It all started with a simple question during my commute:
Why do I never see pigs in the fields? I’d spot cows, sheep, even horses—but never pigs. And why, in our minds, are pigs always pink? Are they really all the same breed? The more I asked, the deeper I went.

What I Discovered

My research revealed a hidden history: pigs used to come in many colors and breeds. But modern industrial farming has narrowed this diversity down to one uniform hybrid—a mix of a black Chinese pig (bred for reproduction) and an orange European pig (bred for taste). 

The pink pig we imagine isn’t actually pink—it’s just not old enough to show its real colors. Most are slaughtered at seven months, though their natural lifespan is around 15 years.

What the Law Ignores

I found that biodiversity laws tend to focus on wild species, ignoring domestic animals like pigs. Breeds are human-made, but they carry real ecological and cultural value. Yet, once lost, they're gone—preserved only in gene banks, if at all.

Why Teapots?

To tell this story, I turned to ceramics—specifically, teapots.
Each color represents a lost breed:

• Black for the Chinese pig,
• Orange for the European,
• Green for what’s been lost.

Ceramics have always been storytelling objects. The teapot, intimate and cherished, offers a personal contrast to the anonymous life of the industrial pig.

Making With Meaning

Each teapot is co-created with the buyer, who chooses the color—adding a layer of care, connection, and responsibility. It’s about more than an object. It’s about remembering the animal.

Why This Matters

By inviting a pig into your home—symbolically, through a teapot—we can start to see pigs differently. Less as products, more as beings with stories worth preserving.

Give a Pig Teapot a new home

Each pig teapot waits patiently, ready to be welcomed into a new home. If one speaks to you, wander through the teaware collection to welcome it home.

To see more of my projects, you’re welcome to check out my portfolio: https://romina-rems-design.webflow.io/portfolio