September 17, 1924 is the official factory foundation date. Initially, it was a laboratory for ceramic paints production, and was called "Ceramic Paints Laboratory". Eventually, the decal production workshop joined the paint production laboratory. And the name was changed to "Paints and Decal Laboratory".
1925
On June 27, 1925, the art section was founded at Paints and Decal Laboratory. Since the laboratory had not yet had its own porcelain production, the art section developed paintings for porcelain products ordered by other factories in Ukraine and also created new drawing samples for decoration.
Factory 1930
The laboratory developed rapidly, production volumes and the number of employees increased. Therefore, it was reformatted to "Kyiv Paints and Decal Factory".
Plant 1934
In 1934, an experimental ceramic factory called "Kyiv Ceramic Factory" was opened in Kyiv. It included "Ceramic Paints and Decal Factory", "Central Chemical Laboratory", "Porcelain Painting and Art Processing Experimental Plant " and "Art Ceramics Experimental Laboratory ".
1937 year
The first experimental low-volume porcelain products started to be produced in 1937, but experimental porcelain products with underglaze painting, developed on the basis of Kyiv Ceramic Factory by Pavlo Ivanchenko, appeared as early as in 1935; these were our first porcelain products.
1939 - KECAF
Since 1939, the enterprise has been named "Kyiv Experimental Ceramics and Art Factory" and it is under this name that it introduced the world to Ukrainian porcelain.
The war of 1943
During the war, the factory could not be evacuated from the city in time, so it temporarily stopped its functioning. After the liberation of Kyiv in 1943, the factory workers who stayed and returned to the city started restoring it, and already on December 28, 1945, the first post-war trial firing took place.
Petrykiv painting, 1944
In 1944, a cohort of outstanding masters of decorative painting of folk art from the art centre of the Dnipropetrovsk region joined the enterprise. "Petrykivka" - Vira Klymenko-Zhukova, Vira Pavlenko, Galina Pavlenko-Chernychenko, and Marfa Tymchenko. Their main task was the development of unique national style in porcelain.
1950s
In the 50s, with the coming of young talented sculptors at the factory, the sculpture began to dominate among the products produced by the factory, which became one of the main trends of porcelain production for a long time. The art laboratory of the factory gradually became one of the best among all factories in Ukraine.
1960s
Since the end of the 1950s and throughout the 1960s, the factory has been recognized as one of the best Ukrainian porcelain manufacturers. Sculptors and artists take part in international competitions and exhibitions. Its products started to be sold all over the world.
1970s
In 1973, the construction of a new large factory was completed and the company moved to Kyiv suburbs, to the town of Vyshneve. Tunnel gas furnaces and three 18 cubic furnaces were built at the factory. This allowed for increasing the volume of production several times and expanding the range of manufactured products.
1980s
This was the time when the factory worked at its full capacity. Young talented sculptors and artists came to the art laboratory. Together with the experienced masters, they began to write a new history of the factory.
Privatization 1993
In 1993 the plant was privatized. After privatization, on the basis of the Kyiv Experimental Ceramic and Art Plant, an Open Joint Stock Company was organized, which was named DEFFA. The name of the enterprise stood for Decal Paint Porcelain, the three main products produced by the plant.
2000s
The 2000s were decisive for the factory. Many factors influenced its work. The loss of sales markets, the rise in energy prices, the lack of support from the state - all this led to its shutdown. And in 2006, the factory stopped working.
2022
Due to the fact that before the factory shutdown one of the shareholders purchased from OJSC Deffa all intellectual property rights related to the production and use of porcelain products produced by OJSC Deffa and its predecessor, Kyiv Ceramic and Art Factory, and intellectual property rights to the trademark, the possibility of reviving the factory work and production of products in the future was preserved.
Revival 2022
In 2022, together with one of the best financiers of Ukraine and the co-owner of "Kyiv Porcelain" museum, the work has been initiated on the revival of Kyiv porcelain. This will be a new story, which begins this year with the release of the Anniversary Collection, timed to the 100th factory anniversary, which will be celebrated in 1924.
