Meet the Maker: Chris, Yummy Clays

Meet Chris – Yummy Clays

Location: USA
Selling Since: 7 years
Feature Page: Down to Earth

Bio:
Chris, the creator behind Yummy Clays, has been sharing his passion for earthy, crunchy, and uniquely textured clays for over seven years. From experimenting with locally sourced clay and chalk in his school days to building a creative range of treats for a wide audience, Chris combines flavour, texture, and innovation to keep his customers coming back for more.

What inspired you to start creating your clays or edible treats?
I ended up building big stock that is very hard or very sticky - customer did not prefer but very earthy and flavorful. So I mash it up to make treats to help with sensitive teeth / reduce stickiness and shared/traded with sellers and customers. It became a hit because of its easy texture and demand.

What products do you specialise in, and what do you think sets you apart?
Special – We started making very creative and treat combos right from the beginning – customizable.
Set us apart – I think is the wide range of products.

Who or what inspires your creativity in the world of clays and textures?
Customers – Each customer is different and crave different texture and tone. Learning nuances in their needs inspires us a lot and helps with creativity. Most of our treats are ideas from our customers.

Can you tell us about the first time you discovered eating clay, chalk, or felt a craving for it?
I have been eating locally sourced clay and slatepencils and chalks as far as I remember. I know its strange for a guy but I remember, during school days we used to sift and eat brick dust with bunch of friends.

Which of your products is your personal favourite, and why?
I love smokey crunchy African Clays. I prefer very strong flavored. Here and there I add chalks to stash to neutralize tastebuds. I have been eating clay for very long time so anything mild is not doing for me. So I need something strong.

If you could describe your ideal crunch in three words, what would they be?
Hard, strong and non gritty.

What is your favourite texture to work with—and eat!
OGTan is the best texture ever to work with. Always consistent. Other clays/chalks/dirt keep changing. Most clays fall apart if not mixed with correct combo.
To eat I like anything that dense and non gritty preferably smokey.

Which flavours or earthy notes do you always find yourself craving?
Smokey, deep flavors esp after a spicy meal.

Can you share a funny or memorable moment from making your products?
I used to purchase a lot from Kili (RIP). He was very creative, and I used to make some treats for his customers. He liked it so much and encouraged me to start my own brand. He was so generous and taught me everything. It really helped me at that time. I am forever grateful to him. We used to chat for hours discussing ideas of new products. I miss him.

If you could invent a new clay flavour or texture, what would it be?
That’s an interesting question – I want to work with texture like penoblock (not available now) its like very lightweight item with unlimited crunch and deep cemtenty flavor.