OUR JOURNEY
Crafting retail solutions for over 50 years.
Graeme Lance was always a resourceful man. He left school early to help his struggling family make ends meet. He tried his hand at a few jobs before quickly settling into a role of storeman and then salesman at the local stationer.
In 1968, the recently married Graeme, gathered his savings and opened his first housewares and stationary company called Tritex Pty Ltd. With his infectious personality Graeme convinced several established brands that he was the right person to represent their products. Some of these brands included Texta Markers, Bohemia Crystal and Stanley Rogers silverware. During these years Graeme built a successful agency business and also began to import his own product, mainly ceramic tableware and accessories, from Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
In 1969, Graeme was invited to join a delegation that included senior merchants from Woolworths to travel to China, under escort, and view dinnerware that was available for purchase. The delegation travelled for days by rickety rail from Kowloon up to Beijing where they were shown product that was made in the local factories. They were told what, how many and at what cost they could buy the products. These were pioneering times and Graeme is credited as being one of the founding importers who developed ties between the People Republic of China and the Australian market.
In 1982, Stoneage Australia was established to focus on the dinnerware and bakeware industry. Graeme built the company into a hugely successful importing and wholesale business serving the entire country with well-known brands like Living Art, Luminite and Essence. Graeme continued running Stoneage Australia until his retirement in 2006. In the mid 1990’s, Graeme had a dream to venture offshore and set up a small office in Hong Kong. The business began exporting dinnerware directly to a small number of Australian and New Zealand retailers.
Graeme’s son, Brendon Lance, like his father has an entrepreneurial spirit and after graduating school established his own retail chain selling housewares and novelty items before venturing into the food sales business. Looking for more opportunities outside of the food business, Brendon turned offshore. With little more than a suitcase and some savings he set up life in Hong Kong. Initially, working for a textile company, Brendon was tasked with expanding the US business into foreign markets from its Hong Kong based offices.
In 1996, during discussions with his father, Brendon agreed to attempt the same global approach with the family business. The recently opened offices in Hong Kong became the springboard to the world market. Today, Stoneage Ceramics is widely known as an exclusive specialist providing private label services to the world’s most famous retailers and brands.
