Gustave Tiffoche was born in Saint-Nazaire. In 1947, he joined Chantiers de l'Atlantique as an industrial designer for 16 years. Between 1947 and 1953, he took painting lessons. Tiffoche trained in ceramics with Norbert Pierlot at the castle of Ratilly in 1961. The gallery of the castle exhibits great names in ceramics, such as Daniel de Montmollin, Yves Mohy, Jean and Jacqueline Lerat and Georges Jouve. After a stint at La Borne which completed his training, in 1963 he opened the Atelier du Petit Poissevin, in Guérande. He then developed an enamelled stoneware production of utility crockery and decorative elements. He built another oven, much larger, which at the same time allowed him to make sculptures and monumental ceramic pieces.