Haberdash EDC is launching within days, so to whet your appetite, we’re covering some of the new products you’ll find at EDC and the interesting people behind them. First up: Otter Wax, a line of all-natural products handmade in Portland by founder Chris Chase using only the highest quality, all-natural ingredients.

How did you come up with Otter Wax?

“I had this tin cloth raincoat that I wanted to wax. For a long time, I was buying the Filson and Martexin waxes, but I couldn’t find a wax without paraffin, and all of the sprays have petroleum byproducts. I couldn’t find anything all natural, so I ended up making it for myself.”

“I was making it on my stovetop for a year or two. At the time I was doing quality control over in Asia, then in April, I was laid off for the first time in my life. Thank god that it happened. It was the catalyst that I needed to say, ‘I’m going to give this [Otter Wax] a go.’ Given the benefit of hindsight, it was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

So, you’re mixing up your new product out of your kitchen—did you have any background in that kind of work?

“I looked at other products I’d used, their ingredients, and knew I could do this. It wasn’t very hard to do… I also worked with quality control with formaldehyde—measuring the emissions in hard wood, plywood and particle board.” Which, incidentally, gave him all the more reason to go all-natural.

What was the process like turning the product into a company?

“I developed all of the products myself—products formulation, research and development, the logo, all the packaging—and I make it all in my kitchen still. Which is absolutely out of control. I’m shopping for a new space now…

“I wouldn’t recommend starting a water repellent company in June, but it gave me time to perfect the formula. By my sales numbers, it’s been really incredibly well received. The Brooklyn Circus in San Francisco, all the amazing stores here in Portland, Benson Outfitters out of London…” And, of course, there’s Haberdash here in Chicago.

How did Otter Wax get its name?

“I was talking about names with a friend, Nick, who’s a bag-maker with his own business (Vanport Outfitters). I was hemming and hawing, and he told me, ‘The product speaks for itself; you could sit here all day, but that’s not an efficient use of your time.’ Later, I was on Buzzfeed and saw this video of an otter playing with a kid–and Otter Wax was born. I’m a sucker for anything that adorable.”

The many uses of Otter Wax—DIY vs. re-proofing, for example…

“Guys and girls use it for two different purposes; men generally seem to be more interested in the utility of the product—they’ve already got something, like a Filson tin cloth raincoat, and want to go the more natural route. A guy is much more likely to use the wax on a pair of jeans that came waxed, and he needs to reproof them. The blogger from The Coveted went and bought a bar of the wax from Dunderdon in SoHo, then did a whole video on how to re-wax a pair of jeans. Female clientele tend to use it more for customizing… more of the DIY-type aspects of the product.” Take, for example, his tutorial on repurposing a pair of canvas sneakers, below.

Despite the fact that the company’s called Otter Wax, you also specialize in all-natural leather care products. How did you branch into leather products?

“I’d be going into these shoe stores [with the wax], and when I was looking at the accessory displays, there were no all natural polishes or water repellents for leather. It was the natural fit to expand to all natural leather products. It really astounded me—it was kind of a no-brainer, but a market that people hadn’t really noticed yet.”

“Mink oil is so disgusting and cruel. Even though it is leather that you’re working with, mink oil is boiled mink fat. And neatsfoot oil is the boiled shin bones of cattle. There are all sorts of products out there to condition and moisturize your own skin—why do we have to use the neatsfoot and mink oil to condition leather? My theme was: Why would you treat your fabrics or leather with anything that you wouldn’t trust using on your own skin? One of the big ingredients of my leather salve is shea butter. There’s a place for silicone sprays, I suppose, by why do you have to go outside into a well-ventilated area to spray something that you’re going to be wearing?”

Chris’ thoughts on the new consumer:

“In 2006, you’d go to a store in the fall and buy a pair of boots. You’d buy whatever the magazines said, wear them for a season, they were trashed. Then they ended up in the far back of your closet or being donated to Good Will. In 2011-2012, we’ve gone through all this crazy recession time, and things are starting to loosen up a little bit. People are starting to spend a little bit more money, but we’re faced with a new consumer who is making a choice: ‘I could buy the $100 boots, or I could spend $300 on Red Wings or Danner boots, and I know if I take care of them, are going to last me 20 years.’

If consumers are making the choice to buy quality stuff, there’s a market for all-natural care products. And, if it’s at about the same price point, there’s a demographic of consumers that is going to be attracted to it. And hopefully, that will keep growing.”

What’s next for Otter Wax?

“I need to figure out my manufacturing and bring in some part-time help. My time is best spent out on the road, educating people about on the product. How can I bring other people in? How can I help other people like me in these difficult positions? The first thing I want to do is start hiring other people to help me out—I want to employ people. That’s my way of helping America’s situation out—building this thing to a point where I can help other people achieve a livelihood.”

Video Tutorial: How to Wax Canvas Sneakers

“In Portland, and across the country, we’ve got a lot of bag manufacturers creating really great, high-quality products. Sustainable, environmentally-friendly mediums have exploded, which has lead to the reintroduction of waxed canvas. As a medium, waxed canvas has exploded, but there hadn’t been a product introduced along with them to teach [customers] how to preserve and maintain their products.”

Chris Chase’s Everyday Carry (EDC)

“The story behind the knife is pretty good. I was in one of my best friend’s weddings; to this day, I still think his gift to the groomsmen was one of the best. A good mixture of classy, fun, and useful. For being in the wedding, we all got one of these knives and a bottle of whiskey.” He does sound like a good friend; also sounds like a potentially dangerous wedding.