Work and Play at the TEPCO Factory

The world’s first Mai Tai may have been mixed in Oakland*, but drinkers sipped it from a cup made in El Cerrito, by workers at the Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company—better known as TEPCO.

From 1930 - 1968, TEPCO was the largest employer in the city. The factory near Kearney Avenue and Manila Street pumped out a dizzying variety of dishes and drinkware.

To learn more about TEPCO, watch The TEPCO Story documentary, explore a collection of TEPCO catalogs, or listen to a podcast from KQED about our local beach made of porcelain, where collectors still flock to hunt for treasure.

*For more on this momentous event, see Suzie Racho’s “An Island Drink with California Roots: the Mai Tai Turns 75”, KQED, Jun 21, 2019 (link).