At the beginning of the 19th century, a young porcelain painter named Carl Magnus Hutschenreuther from Thuringia, went in search of 'white gold', which he eventually found in north east Bavaria. The young Hutschenreuther had discovered 'china clay' (or kaolin) for the production of porcelain, and in 1814, he founded the first modern and private porcelain factory in Bavaria.

His aim was to manufacture porcelain 'second to none' for quality and excellence in Germany. Under the direction of his son Lorenz, a second porcelain factory was founded in 1857 in the neighbouring town of Selb. More than one hundred years later, in 1969, both companies combined to form Hutschenreuther AG, Selb.