A factory tour of Heath Ceramics
I’ve been taking ceramics class in the evenings and investigating ceramic styles, techniques, and glazes. Having lunch last week at Chez Panisse Cafe, I noticed that they credited their wares with Heath Ceramics. I’ve been watching Ed Lee’s Youtube page which is pretty informative on SF news, and there was a Heath Ceramic groundbreaking in SF. All things were starting to point to Heath, so I biked down to the Ferry building and chatted with their friendly and knowledgeable staff for a while. I mean, like twenty minutes. They were so delightful and enthusiastic and because I had also done my research we had a deep dialogue about Heath’s history. Edith Heath passed away a few years ago and the company was bought by a product designer who has revamped the production line. It became more of her artistic studio in her final years. Edith’s niece is on staff developing new glaze colors and textures and some of the employees have been there for over thirty years. So, it must be a great company to work for. The manager booked me a factory tour and I was excited to get a backstage pass. I was mostly impressed that they source some of their clay near Sacramento and I noticed a handful of staff had Vietnamese last names. I shopped the “seconds store” and have my eye on the new Neutra house numbers. Thanks to all at Heath! And for Blue Bottle Coffee enabling a wider audience to enjoy their sophisticated and ergonomic designs.
