Marcus Bull || Co-Founder
BULL & STEIN || Germany
What problem does BULL & STEIN solve? Can you tell us a bit about the solution you are developing?
BULL & STEIN was founded by designer and artist Lisa Pappon and me, with the aim of creating oversized fruit sculptures to bring our vision of a visual, universally understandable artistic language to life — one that consciously rejects hierarchies, religions, age, origin, or other categories of social classification.
We collaborate with five traditional factories in Portugal, which produce the objects depending on the material used, partly employing ancestral manufacturing methods and exclusively sustainable materials: mouth-blown glass, porcelain, ceramics, cast bronze and synthetic resin. We create fruit sculptures for indoor and outdoor spaces; each piece is handmade, individually crafted and produced exclusively to order.
What role does continuous innovation play in the development of your solutions?
Continuous innovation plays a central role in the development of our pieces, even if this innovation is not technological in the traditional industrial sense, but rather focused on design, materials and artisanal techniques.
This manifests itself in two ways. Firstly, in balancing craft tradition with design innovation, BULL & STEIN preserves ancestral craftsmanship practices — using traditional techniques such as mouth-blown glass, ceramics, cast bronze and porcelain — while simultaneously reinventing them through new styles, forms and finishes, creating distinctive and unique pieces. The brand works with artists and master artisans in several countries (Brazil, Portugal and India), encouraging the continuous evolution of shapes, colours and textures, representing both aesthetic and technical innovation.
Secondly, through the ongoing development of materials and finishes. While many pieces respect traditional methods, BULL & STEIN also explores new materials and surface treatments — for example, combining ceramics, glass, resin and bronze with different finishing techniques. This experimentation enables the brand to respond to contemporary art and interior design trends while maintaining its uniqueness in the market.
Why did BULL & STEIN choose Portugal to establish an Innovation Centre?
Today, tradition, know-how and craftsmanship can only be found in a few regions or countries. Craftsmanship in Portugal is particularly diverse and rich; original methods have been preserved and passed down here.
Moreover, Portugal is competitive with many Asian countries and benefits from EU membership. Advantages such as location, safety, reliability and the availability of skilled labour at accessible costs were decisive factors in relocating production to Portugal. UPTEC offers a well-organised network of creative and innovative companies operating in areas such as design, architecture, IT and technology. Our connection with UPTEC emerged through an existing collaboration with a graphic design agency based here.
What factors do you attribute BULL&STEIN ’s success to?
Its individuality, authenticity and integrity.
If you had to give one piece of advice to someone starting a business or leading a team, what would it be?
Believe in yourself.
Think positively.
Do not be afraid to take risks.
Persevere through difficult periods.
Do not expect too much from others.
Be prepared to work much harder than most people.
February 26, 2026
