Franco Mari is a descendant of a long line of Italian artisans. In the eighteenth century, his ancestor, Giuseppe Mari created ceramics in a small kiln in Deruta, Italy. Deruta has been a hub of pottery making workshops since the fifteenth century. The tradition remained alive in the family and in 1932, Livio Mari, Franco's father founded the Fratelli Mari & C. In 1974, Franco Mari founded Majoliche d'arte Franco Mari in Deruta.