East Fork Pottery is becoming a household name in the South and beyond. The North Carolina pottery powerhouse is known for its beautiful and practical ceramic pieces we can’t help but collect. Beyond landing in glossy magazines and on stylish Instagram feeds everywhere, the certified B-Corporation is feeding back into its employees and community. We chatted with CEO and Founding Potter Alex Matisse about the magic behind East Fork, a day in the hive, and what’s to come.
Tell me a bit about East Fork’s early era. Where did your magnetism toward pottery begin?
To start, I was raised in a small New England town by a family of artists, anthropologists, and inventors. At 18, I left the Northeast to attend Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, where I discovered the enduring traditions of Southern pottery. After a year and a half, I decided to leave college to pursue three years of traditional apprenticeship with two potters, learning everything I possibly could about running a wood-fired production pottery.
After my apprenticeship, I found an old tobacco farm just north of Asheville in Madison County, North Carolina, and officially founded East Fork Pottery. I built a 36-foot-long wood-burning kiln and a series of rudimentary workshops, which served as the original site of East Fork until 2018. My now-wife, Connie Coady, became more involved in the business, and in 2013, I was joined by a dear friend and fellow potter, John Vigeland, to grow the brand. Together, the three of us shaped what East Fork is today.
How does your North Carolina locale color or nourish your business and products?
First and foremost was the enduring tradition of pottery-making in the South. It was a great place to become completely immersed in clay and the various traditions that all converged to form the specific school of pottery I was trained to make — a blend of Southern folk pottery, English slip-ware, and folk pottery traditions from Southeast Asia and Japan. Clay itself, and the abundance of it, also shaped East Fork.
There are large clay deposits all over the American South, and we make specific choices in how we glaze the pots (leaving the rim exposed) and how we fire them (in a reduction atmosphere). Both of these choices bring out the unique character of the clay and make our pots distinctly different from other industrially produced pottery.
What’s a common misconception that people have about the world of ceramics?
Making pottery is hard! It seems like such a simple process, but a huge amount of chemistry and engineering goes into making our glazes, clay, and the tooling for all the various forms we made. We’ve gone through the Industrial Revolution — from making pots on a wheel and firing them in a wood kiln to making them with large semi-automated machines and firing them in enormous computer-controlled gas kilns.
Some people still come into our Asheville store and ask if I am making everything in the back. They have no idea the infrastructure it takes to make all the pots they see before them! Despite being a relatively large dinnerware manufacturer, we still fire our pots in a very non-industrial manner, which adds distinctiveness to our pottery. Unlike most mass producers, we fire our pieces in a reduced atmosphere, which brings out unique iron spots and darker rims.
What’s a day in the East Fork hive like? How many people does the operation need?
Our factory in Asheville begins to wake up at about 6 a.m. when the first people on the manufacturing team show up to open the building. I arrive around 7:30, and we meet at the kilns every morning to see the wares that were fired the night before and assess whether we need to make any changes to our kiln programs. Folks who work in the office start around 8 a.m. or 9 a.m., and our last shift on the manufacturing floor ends at 10:30 p.m.
Across our factory, warehouse, office HQ, two retail stores, and a handful of remote employees, we have 100+ employees who all contribute to making East Fork what it is. When it comes to wages, everyone here makes at least $22 an hour, and we have plans to raise this minimum wage again to what MIT has calculated as a family living wage here in Buncombe County, North Carolina.
When it comes to your customers, what’s the makeup like between individuals and restaurants? Is there one facet of the brand that you want to focus on or that is more “fun” to work on?
Most of our sales are direct to customers, either online or through our two stores (Asheville and Atlanta), but our hospitality sales to restaurants are growing quickly, as is our wholesale program. I spend a lot of time on the manufacturing floor. I love the process of making pottery. I also love designing new products and working with our buying teams to review other goods we bring in to sell alongside our own pottery.
Is there someone who uses East Fork pottery that makes you think, “Dang, that’s so cool they have our stuff!”?
I recently sent a bunch of pottery to the comedian and podcast host Marc Maron. He loves pottery! Judy Greer has some stuff, and she’s pretty funny.
What’s a surprisingly “hot” item that customers love right now?
Our Spring collection, featuring Daylily and Lamb’s Ear, turned out to be an unexpected hit. Additionally, the Neptune pieces that debuted earlier this Summer, with their glossy and vibrant blue finish, were really popular, selling out twice. Then, they had a near sell-out for the final drop.
Walk me through the ethos that led to your incredible B-Corp distinction.
East Fork is proud to be a Certified B Corporation, a distinction that recognizes our commitment to making business decisions that reflect our values. More importantly, it holds us accountable for the ongoing work required for the betterment of our employees, customers, suppliers, communities, and the environment.
We aim to establish enduring relationships with organizations deeply involved in impactful, values-aligned work within our community. We carefully select four partners each year, one each quarter, and direct 100% of the funds raised to regional non-profits. These partnerships are aligned with our values, focusing on justice-minded endeavors that make a tangible difference.
We also raise awareness by featuring each organization’s initiatives in our newsletters and social media platforms, hosting raffles for local causes, and inviting customers to support our Community Partners by learning more, volunteering, or donating. We also offer customers early access tickets to Seconds Pop-ups, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to our Community Partners.
East Fork has many exciting updates slated for this fall! Two reissue colorways are launching soon, and they’re opening a new store in Brooklyn this fall. Located on Atlantic Avenue, it will be the first permanent location in the city.
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