Bold Vision, Concrete Dreams: An Interview with Ramielle de Jager, Founder of Wolkberg Casting Studios

Ramielle de Jager

I’ve had the privilege of knowing Ramielle de Jager for many years — from our early days together at Cobra to witnessing the evolution of her incredible vision through Wolkberg Casting Studios. Her journey has always been one of bold creativity, innovation, and relentless curiosity.

At the helm of Wolkberg, Ramielle leads a multidisciplinary design and manufacturing studio that’s reshaping the conversation around industrial design in South Africa. The company is perhaps best known for Limesite™, a proprietary high-performance concrete developed in-house. From this remarkable material, the studio crafts everything from exquisite tiles and surfaces to lighting, furniture, and architectural art pieces.

In celebration of her many milestones — and with deep admiration — I sat down with Ramielle to talk about her journey, the spirit of South African design, and what’s next for Wolkberg.

1. Your journey from Cobra to founding Wolkberg is inspiring. What were the pivotal moments that led you to start Wolkberg?

Being involved in product development for many years, I observed that it often lacked a design-led approach. My pivotal moment was the realisation that product development and manufacturing should be driven by design, not solely engineering. I saw how large corporations moved slower, and I knew I could innovate and move faster on my own.

2. Limesite™ has become a signature innovation for Wolkberg. Can you take us through the process of developing this material and what makes it so unique?

You might remember, Marcia, that there was a design competition that I championed where one of the winning tap designs was a tap made from ceramic. During the industrial design process, we explored more materials than just ceramics — we looked at cementitious mix options, and this is where my curiosity for concrete started.

The young industrial designer leading the project at the time introduced me to concrete as an option, and we began going down a rabbit hole of research and development — only for the product to not “materialise” (pun intended). We then continued with the development of the material outside of work, trying to create concrete countertops.

This was very early days, and we had no idea how complicated it would be. We landed on our ideal recipe in 2020 — five years after registering the company and six years after our initial R&D started. Iteration upon iteration, we pursued the ideal mix with passion and curiosity. Most people would have given up, but I knew that when we got it right, we would be sitting on an innovation the market never knew it needed.

3. Wolkberg is in the process of opening another showroom, this time in Cape Town — congratulations! What was the vision behind this space, and how does it reflect your design philosophy?

My vision for Wolkberg’s showrooms was always to be a shared space where all sorts of creatives are welcome to come in and just be inspired. Hence, it doesn’t look like a typical showroom — it looks more like a well-designed creative space that could be multipurpose. A space where our design clients can work from if they’re in the area, or bring clients to be inspired. Most importantly, it’s a space where we will host events, podcasts, and even cooking shows.

The Cape Town showroom is a shared space we’re leasing from Louw Roets, who is a talented industrial designer and artist working with wood as his primary material. Louw and I have many synergies, and it felt like a perfect place to call home in Cape Town.

4. You’ve always celebrated local design. How does Wolkberg’s work help promote South African talent and creativity on a global stage?

I feel truly blessed to have built a brand with a product that can stand boldly, unmatched on a global stage. Our work is a testament to Africa’s immense talent and capabilities in industrialising design. It shows that South African design transcends stereotypical ideas of African design beyond traditional patterns. It shows that African designers can innovate and are not afraid to play with different mediums.

Wolkberg takes its position in leading material science and innovation seriously, and we are honoured to have shared this innovation globally — where everyone can see that South Africa has talent, creativity, and the capabilities to innovate.

5. What does it mean to you to be part of Decorex 2025, and can you share the highlights?

Decorex and 100% Design 2025 were quite fantastic. It has always been an opportunity to engage with new audiences, and 2024 was an epic display of the synergy between food and design, where we designed and hosted the main café at 100% Design — and it was an absolute banger.

Being a competitive bunch, we were really focused on outshining ourselves, and this was quite scary and nerve-wracking.

I really wanted to celebrate Wolkberg’s 10-year anniversary by launching 10 new tile ranges. My new product design pipeline has had a range of 3D tiles…

6. Innovation in design often means pushing boundaries. What challenges have you faced in creating pieces that are both functional and artistic?

Developing Limesite™ was the biggest challenge I’ve overcome by far. We worked on function for the first four years of development, then came form and aesthetics. There were many challenges, such as the lack of expert knowledge to consult on material science, lack of support from anyone, and the largest challenge was the financial requirement to innovate. Innovation is anything but efficient or cost-effective. We used every single bit of capital we raised and made through sales on the development and continuous improvement of Limesite™.

7. Sustainability is becoming essential in industrial design. How does Limesite™ and your manufacturing process speak to more conscious, sustainable practices?

Sustainability was built into the very fabric of Limesite™. We designed the mix to incorporate recycled material and kept it as pure as possible without adding too many additives so that it can be fully recyclable.

We are proud owners of a 4-STAR ECO LABEL RATING on Limesite™ products, with a clear plan and path on how to achieve 5 stars.

8. As a multidisciplinary studio, you work across tiles, furniture, lighting, and more. How do you maintain a cohesive design language across such diverse product categories?

Our material mainly allows us to achieve a cohesive design language across multiple products. We prioritise Limesite™ in any product we create, even when using other materials. We keep Limesite™ the hero, and other materials are secondary.

This is only possible because Limesite™ is an innovation and is unmatched globally.

9. Looking forward, what’s next for Wolkberg Casting Studios? Are there any new materials, collaborations, or ideas on the horizon you’re excited about?

The exciting part about traveling is that sometimes you get to meet like-minded people. I recently met a very talented young team of designer-makers from Italy who are just as focused on sustainable design as we are — and their medium is terracotta. I foresee a truly remarkable upcoming range collaboration with them soon. Ole and I are very excited to explore a collaboration with them.

Up Close & Personal with Ramielle de Jager

To round off our conversation, I wanted to step away from the studio and get a glimpse into the person behind the work. Here are a few personal questions to help us get to know Ramielle a little better:

1. What’s your favourite place to visit when you need to recharge or find inspiration?

I am a city girl, and I am very rejuvenated by a well-designed hotel room — so when I take a break, ideally I would be in a hotel on the beach.

2. How do you like to spend your free time when you’re not immersed in design?

I spend a lot of my time with my 13-year-old daughter, who is an extremely talented musician. We immerse ourselves in music, food, film, and art.

3. Who inspires you — whether personally or professionally — and why?

Lately, I am very interested in filmmaking, and I am super inspired by the number of actresses who have started their own production companies — like Reese Witherspoon, Margot Robbie, and Dakota Johnson. I think I see a production company in my future. I come from a musical family, and entertainment is in my blood. I will definitely be producing my own play one day — or maybe even multiple.

4. Is there a book that’s stayed with you or shaped the way you think or create?

Yes, there are a few. The first book is The Secret — this book changed my life in my early 20s, and I would recommend it to everyone. More recently, I loved Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead — I studied this book like a textbook. With Wolkberg growing at such a rapid rate, being a good leader is paramount to the well-being of our staff and our future.

5. Who is your favourite designer — past or present — and what draws you to their work?

Honestly, I don’t have a favourite. I fall in love with design ideas more than designers. But anyone who makes me pause, feel, and rethink my assumptions — they’ve got my attention.

Final Thoughts

Ramielle’s leadership, Wolkberg Casting Studios has become a bold expression of South African innovation, material exploration, and artistic integrity. From redefining what concrete can be to championing sustainable and locally rooted design, Ramielle de Jager is paving the way for a new generation of creatives to think bigger, work smarter, and dream in full colour.