East Fork imbues traditional clay tableware with a sense of delight, resulting in pieces that are instantly recognizable. The company’s ceramics feature its signature raw clay rims and matte glazes that allow for playful color combinations, while nodding to the heritage and legacy of the craft industry in Asheville, North Carolina, where it’s based. Since Alex and Connie Matisse founded East Fork with their friend John Vigelandin, back in 2009, its mugs and bowls have become highly coveted mainstays—as is evidenced by the 42 tons of clay it goes through each month (yes, month)—while its expansion into the lifestyle realm, with online recipes and carefully culled pantry items, such as black garlic shoyu from Japan’s Kyoto prefecture, give the brand a contemporary edge. We recently spoke with Connie about East Fork’s strategy for keeping up with demand, and how its most radical work takes place outside of the limelight.

Your products often immediately sell out. A few months ago, an article in the New York Post called your passionate fans the “new potheads.” What makes East Fork’s pieces so covetable?