Get to know Mdina Glass

Mdina Glass was founded in the Maltese town of Mdina, in 1968 by Michael Harris, a risky venture at the time as Mdina had no history of glass making. However the gamble paid off, and Mdina glass was an instant success. The company produced free formed organic glassware, often in colours inspired from the sea, sand, earth and sky, which proved very popular with tourists in Malta. 

The workshop, housed to this day in a converted ex-RAF hangar, soon became a popular destination for visitors wishing to see the craft in practice… and remains so even now with packed coaches and open top tour buses stopping by regularly throughout the year.

Harris was soon joined on the workshop floor by experienced glassmakers like father and son team Vicente and Ettore Boffo as well as local trainees. One such trainee to join a few months after Mdina Glass began was Joseph Said, who progressed rapidly, eventually became the company’s first Maltese production manager by 1975.

Although Harris left Malta in 1972, to start his own studio, Dobson remained at the helm until 1985. During Dobson’s tenure the glass making personnel and range of products grew and the production facilities increased to meet production demands. With a small domestic market, the developing tourism sector - and trade exports - were crucial to the success of Mdina Glass.

When Dobson finally decided to relinquish control of the company, Joseph Said took over ownership and reinvigorated Mdina Glass. He introduced new techniques to expand the portfolio and invested in better production facilities and retail area as well as raw glass making materials.

Take a look at our collection of collectable Mdina paperweigts here!