This ceramics enterprise is preserving Kenya’s pottery heritage

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

Pottery is a deeply tactile craft for Caroline Teti, founder of ClayCat Ceramics, a Nairobi-based pottery and ceramic design studio producing handcrafted tableware and decorative pieces.

Her creations combine traditional craftsmanship with modern design.

"I started the business to reconnect Kenyan women with the authenticity of clay pots and the cooking traditions associated with them, while creating ceramic pieces that complement modern kitchens and décor," she says.

Working with clay requires a detailed understanding of the material and how each stage of production—from shaping and drying to glazing and firing—affects the final piece.

Moisture content, kiln temperature and firing time all influence the ceramic's strength, durability and finish.

"Ceramics are a highly versatile medium, allowing makers to learn a wide range of techniques, from hand sculpting and slab building to pinching, coiling and the use of plaster press moulds," she says.

The different techniques produce distinct forms and finishes, ranging from individually hand-built pieces to moulded designs where greater uniformity is required.

"The process is messy, deliberate and unforgiving, requiring patience from the first touch of wet clay to the final firing of a completed piece. Every stage leaves its mark on the finished work," she says.

Teti draws inspiration from the tenacity of traditional clay workers and moulders who use only their hands and eyes to shape forms that have defined African traditions for centuries. She says working with clay has also given her a deep sense of connectedness across the continent.

"In every country I have visited—from Ethiopia and Mozambique to Rwanda and Malawi—I have found a shared understanding of clay as both a material and a cultural language, despite the diversity of these places," she says.

In her studio, she works with an electric pottery wheel. "Creating a vessel requires the hands and mind to work in complete harmony, guiding the clay from simple cylinders to large rounded forms while carefully controlling the wheel's speed," she explains.

What she finds most rewarding, she adds, is the connection between the palms, fingers, brain and heart.

"Everything is felt through an emotional resonance that allows the potter to sense the clay as it takes shape, from its distribution and height to its elasticity and plasticity. The material guides you as much as you guide it."

Unlike factory-produced ceramics, where uniformity is often the primary objective, handmade pottery celebrates subtle variations in shape, colour and texture, giving each piece a distinctive identity and the unmistakable imprint of its maker.

Working alongside two potters, Teti combines traditional techniques with contemporary forms to create pieces suited to modern lifestyles. She began using clay pots long before she started making them herself, believing they offered a more natural way to cook, store water and serve food while preserving a tradition that has endured across generations.

The business idea emerged from conversations with friends who wanted quality locally made clayware but struggled to find suitable pieces. Many became her first customers, attracted by her use of Kenyan ball clay and distinctive designs.

"I established the venture to create ceramic products that combine functionality with contemporary design. We produce pieces intended for everyday use while also catering to customers seeking distinctive handcrafted ceramics," she says.

She acknowledges that the discipline required in pottery has also shaped her approach to business. Both demand patience, precision and a willingness to refine every stage of the production process rather than rushing the finished product. When necessary, production is paused to review materials and techniques before pieces move to the next stage.

The collections include casserole dishes, bowls, cooking pots, mugs, cups, plates, serving platters, teapots, decorative terracotta pots and other ceramic pieces, with prices ranging from Sh250 to Sh15,000 per item.

Teti says pricing decisions take into account material costs, skilled labour, production time, market conditions and additional services such as curing pots on behalf of clients.

“Pricing handmade ceramics involves understanding the resources invested at every stage, from sourcing and preparing the clay, mixing, throwing, trimming, buffing, drying, firing and curing, to the time required to complete and deliver the final product,” she says.

For artisan businesses, balancing the time-intensive nature of handmade production with the demands of running a sustainable enterprise remains a constant consideration.

She explains that adapting traditional pottery techniques to contemporary tableware requires careful consideration of how form, function and aesthetics interact, ensuring familiar designs remain relevant to modern kitchens and commercial spaces.

“The idea is not to replace traditional pottery but to reinterpret it for the way people live today. Design has to respond to both cultural familiarity and modern expectations around functionality,” she says.

She obtains her clay from Central Kenya, an area that has supplied Kenyan ball clay for ceramic production locally and internationally for years. Similar deposits are also found in western Kenya, but the distance from her studio makes them less practical as primary sources.

Working with local clay miners, she selects materials based on their composition, plasticity, elasticity and ability to withstand the firing process. Before shaping, the clay undergoes preparation to achieve the consistency required for production. Variations in moisture content or trapped air can affect the structural integrity of the finished pieces, making this stage critical to the outcome.

The pieces are then dried under controlled conditions before being fired in an electric kiln, a process that determines their final strength, durability and finish of the final ceramic product.

“The biggest challenge is finding a balance between maintaining the quality of handmade ceramics and building a business that can grow sustainably. Every piece requires attention, but the market also requires consistency and reliability,” she says.

Running a ceramics enterprise involves managing commercial considerations, including inventory planning, pricing and customer expectations. Unlike factory manufacturing, where standardised systems enable higher volumes, artisan ceramics rely on skilled labour, technical knowledge and carefully managed production processes.

As ClayCat Ceramics grows, Teti is navigating the operational complexities of increasing production capacity and extending market reach.

“Access to raw materials, energy costs and specialised equipment remain important considerations, particularly in a production process where a single firing cycle can determine whether weeks of work result in finished products or losses,” she says.

Maintaining skilled labour is another challenge. With relatively few experienced potters in the market, recruiting and retaining artisans can be costly. Pottery relies on technical skills developed over years of practice, making knowledge transfer essential as production expands.

Training artisans requires patience because pottery depends on abilities built through experience.

“For many years, the craft has largely been preserved within older generations in rural communities. However, with new techniques and contemporary designs, there is an opportunity for younger people to embrace pottery and use it as a pathway for economic empowerment,” she says.

She adds that decisions around new designs, production volumes and pricing must balance material costs, customer demand and the practical limitations of handmade manufacturing.

The next stage of growth is about building the capacity to meet demand without losing the technical discipline that defines our work. In a craft-based business, expansion has to be deliberate because every decision affects both the product and the people behind it,” she concludes.

Reporting originally appeared via Nation Africa. Read the full source for additional context.