9 year anniversary for the tea-strainers
These guys (and ladies) have been my best-sellers since my first ever craft market back in 2013, when they were still wonky and rather impractical.
The design has improved a lot and they have since proved themselves to be total charmers wherever they go.
A few times people are perplexed if you are meant to put flowers or incense sticks or candles in there…until they realise it is meant for that loose herbal tea - such a common thing in Latvia but maybe not so much elsewhere.
They are being made for me by another small company in Latvia - Piebalgas Porcelain - who specialise in slip-cast porcelain and were able to offer me the best quality and finish that I could possibly imagine. These guys are super complicated to cast, the heads want to nod down and legs want to spit, so the fact that they manage to get them to the finish line is really applaudable. It is still very much hand-work, each hole made by hand and total process is in the hand of a few professionals, not some machine line.
Initially it did made me feel a little funny that my “best-seller” aren’t “made-by-me” and it took me a while to also see myself as designer not just a maker. But since I integrated that role, I realised that I am really proud of this collaboration that is making such impact not only to thousands of happy clients but also creating jobs in the deep countryside of Latvia.
(c) Photos — Krišjānis Piliņš