18/02/2025
We’ve heard some interesting stories come out the rumour (pug)mill over the last couple of weeks so we thought we’d better clear a few things up!
Firstly – no we have not stopped making clay 😊 Neither are we taking a holiday (though much needed!)
We have been struggling with demand far-outweighing our capacity to supply for some time. In light of this we looked at importing some really great Australian clays to help with demand, which saw the launch of Clay Down Under mid 2024, where we now also retail clay from & the lovely team Pottersclay Nelson Nelson
The supplementary clays have alleviated some of the pressure, but we are still experiencing demand for Mac’s far greater than what we can fulfil.
While this is all a wonderful problem to have, and one that is not lost on us, in an economy that is otherwise struggling, we also have to be practical about what we can commit to customers.
Currently we are working through back orders that will take us to mid-May to complete. It is therefore not fair to anyone, to take new bulk orders, that are months away from being dispatched.
For this reason, we have closed our books to new orders, while we work (almost!) round the clock to catch up, and get to a place that we can offer a realistic turnaround time for new orders.
While we fulfil back orders, we do our best to pinch a few surplus bags of clay for retail sale via our websites, and we always endeavour to keep the website updated with a realistic ETA – where you can pre-order and have your clay dispatched the moment it comes out the pugmill! The online store does impose quantity limits, so you cannot process bulk orders via the website
We appreciate this is difficult for our customers – it keeps us awake many nights! But we can assure you all we are doing our utmost to produce clay as fast as we can, pushing our equipment (and our clay maker) to their limits.
Which brings us to the next rumour to be addressed >>>
Yes, Dylan our master clay maker is battling with a ruptured disk. But no, this is not in any way affecting production and output.
We have implemented some changes in the factory layout, and we make very good use of our staff and our new forklift to lift all materials and pallets to a height that means no awkward bending and twisting.
Dylan is working closely with his Doctor and Physical Therapist, with full clearance to continue working and is managing just fine with the adaptations in place.
Please be patient with us and please, get in touch if you have questions or concerns.
We have always taken pride in being NZ Owned and Operated and right here on the other end of the phone when you need us!
We work hard to offer a level of customer service that stands out from others, so get in touch if you have questions. We are happy to assist with looking at alternatives from our NZ and AU range, if the clay you need is not available. We are here to help!
Thank you for your understanding
🩷 Mac’s Mud Team
