John Braat & Company, formerly Braat Trading Company, was started in 1949 by my grandfather, John Braat. John Braat was raised in Delft, Holland and grew up with the beauty of Delft Blue Birth Plates decorating shelves of his family’s homes throughout the entirety of his life. He eventually emigrated to the US during the war where he began importing Delft blue products from Holland. He wanted to connect with his culture despite being an ocean away. During this time, he was selling anything from ashtrays to jewelry and of course, birth plates. He ran the business throughout his life, supporting his six children, before eventually passing it along to one of his youngest sons, Will Braat, in his retirement. Will ran the company from the early 2000s until 2020. He did a lot of the modernizing of the company: allowing e-payments and online ordering, creating a website, and making the company more accessible. Will Braat's daughter, Maddy Braat, took over in 2020. Now we are making Delft blue plates and tiles to commemorate birthdays, anniversaries, and marriages. Each plate is still handmade and hand painted in Schoonhoven, Holland by Sylvia Brands. Maddy is located in Austin, TX. For generations, every member of our family has had a birth plate for each child in the family and we’re honored to share this beautiful tradition with you and your loved ones.