JON SCHMIDT POTTERY

I am a potter, entrepreneur, adventurer, videographer, photographer, father, and husband….just to name a few... After studying abroad in India for 4 months in 2009, I began my pottery adventures in 2010 when I took my first wheel throwing class at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter, MN. As the only non-art major in the class the odds of success were slim, but by the end of the class I had thrown more work than the rest of the class combined... I combined my passion for handmade pottery and my entrepreneurship skills to purchase the coffeeshop Mocha Monkey in 2011, at the ripe age of 21. Since then, Mocha Monkey has grown from 1 store and 18 employees to 3 locations, and over 50 employees. Mocha Monkey (voted the best coffeehouse in Minnesota) uses and sells all handmade Jon Schmidt pottery. Since a solo cross country road trip in 2017, I have spent most of my time honing my pottery business, being a husband and father to our 18 month old son, and seeking out the next adventure.