President Barack Obama’s official White House china service, featuring a Hawaii-inspired blue-green hue, debuted on April 27 at a press conference held by White House curator Bill Allman. Produced by Pickard China, the collection features several pieces with the signature blue-green color on a decorative rim. The color, which was selected by First Lady Michelle Obama because it is reminiscent of the ocean water of President Obama’s home state, has been named Kailua Blue.

President Obama at the White House's April 27 press conference debuting the new china service.

Pickard president Andrew Pickard Morgan said, “It was an incredible honor to be selected as the manufacturing resource for the Obama White House china service. Every piece of Pickard china is made with great skill and pride, but producing china for the White House was certainly something that was very special for everyone working at the company.”

First Lady Michelle Obama picked the china service's signature hue.

Morgan also explained that two items in the dinner service, the dinner plate and individual soup tureen, were bas-relief shapes that were designed from scratch. “It took us more than a year and countless trial pieces to get the individual tureen bowl completed,” shared Morgan. “It was really incredible to see the group of my employees tasked with developing this item coming in early to work because they just couldn’t wait to see the latest trial piece coming off one of our kilns.”

The presidential china service by Pickard China

Family-owned Pickard China, which was founded in 1893, has also produced official protocol gifts of state for many U.S. presidents dating back to FDR, and has manufactured Presidential china services for Camp David, Air Force One and Blair House.