A Note from Our Founder
Welcome to the Klaris Founder's Series - a collection of stories from our founder, Chase Haider, about the ideas, challenges, and moments that shaped Klaris from the very beginning.
These posts are written in Chase's own voice and from his perspective, which is why you'll notice they're written in the first person. Our hope is to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the curiosity, problem-solving, and journey that turned an idea into the product you know today.
We hope you enjoy getting to know the story behind Klaris - one chapter at a time.
Chapter 1 - Staying Curious - The Launch of an Idea
People often ask where the idea for Klaris came from.
The truth is, it wasn't one big "aha" moment. It was years of curiosity, asking questions, and connecting dots that didn't seem related at the time.
As a chemical engineering student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013, I became obsessed with 3D printing. That kicked off an eight-year journey of taking industrial 3D printing processes (color, plastic, and metal) and condensing them into consumer-friendly products. As a process engineer, I loved being the glue between software, electrical engineering, firmware, materials, mechanical development, and system integration.
Fast forward to 2018.
I was at a bar in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I ordered an Old Fashioned - my go-to cocktail. It came with an extra-large, crystal-clear ice cube. Naturally, I started asking the bartender where it came from and how much it cost. I was blown away to learn they had the cubes hand-delivered and were paying anywhere from $1.00 to $1.50 per cube.
That sent me down a rabbit hole.
I started Googling and YouTubing Clinebell machines, the industry standard for producing large, crystal-clear ice cubes. It turns out most bars and restaurants don't actually have room for these machines. Instead, they're housed at local ice distributors' facilities - the same places that supply grocery stores and gas stations with bagged ice. They produce massive blocks of ice, cut them into cubes with industrial saws, and deliver them to bars and restaurants.
The directional freezing technology behind these machines fascinated me, and I immediately started looking for ways to make clear ice at home.
Back in 2018, the options weren't great.
The most common solution was silicone molds, but they took up a lot of freezer space, required 24–36 hours to freeze, and still produced cloudy, inconsistent results. Some ice distributors had started selling craft ice at luxury liquor stores and grocery stores, but it was expensive ($1.00–$1.50 per cube), wasn't always available, and often melted and refroze together during transportation and storage. There were even companies shipping clear ice directly to your doorstep, which was even more expensive.
The cooler method, pioneered by Camper English, was the gold standard for making clear ice at home. It worked, but it took more than 36 hours and required a lot of hands-on effort.
I kept coming back to the idea over the next couple of years while still working full-time in 3D printing.
Then, in 2020, right as COVID hit and people were spending more time at home picking up hobbies like making cocktails, I quit my job to pursue the idea full-time.
I realized there was a white space for a simple countertop clear ice maker. Instead of filling a mold and sticking it in your freezer, you'd fill a dedicated machine with water, press go, and come back to perfectly clear ice that was ready to use - or store for later.
That was the genesis of Klaris.
It's a friendly reminder to always stay curious. There are fun problems to solve everywhere, even in things you can literally see right through.
