Wolkberg Casting Studios: Innovating With Award Winning Limesite

Innovation is not easy for many reasons. Today, the lack of funding and resources, as well as a lack of passion to see it through to the end, slows down innovation in many industries.

Studio Kristin Hulda (www.kristinhulda.com)

Most entrepreneurs burn out and most corporates will have to deal with too much red tape to allow progress in innovation. Wolkberg Casting Studios is an Industrial Design and Manufacturing business with a team who are constantly innovating to stay ahead of the curve.

Founded in 2015, Wolkberg Casting Studio’s young team of designers and creatives have keen and trained eyes for design and engineering. They are collaborators who constantly think outside of the box.

Studio Kristin Hulda (www.kristinhulda.com)

Limesite

The Studio’s out of the box innovation is a material that is a high-performance concrete called Limesite. With this amazing material, a number of remarkable products are created, such as surfaces for kitchens, bars, cladding, furniture and an extremely popular range of handmade tiles. The Studio’s product offering is targeted to the architecture and interior design industry globally.

In an industry that is hungry for new and innovative offerings, Limesite is warmly embraced. Many years of R&D have gone into the process of developing this innovative product. This fascinating material and the process of manufacturing it, allow for unique aesthetics and one called Dimensions. It creates a beautiful organic movement through the tile and slab surfaces.

Studio Kristin Hulda (www.kristinhulda.com)

“Typically, our products are used by some of the most prestigious interior designers and architectural firms, and they feature in the Gorgeous George Hotel in Cape Town, Life Unframed Ice Cream Parlour and Alice & Fifth Bar in Sandton. All of which were designed by Studio A Tristan Du Plessis and are award-winning projects.:

They have also caught the eye of Nando’s and form a part of Nandos portal to Africa making them a preferred supplier in Nandos stores.

There are many reasons their products are specified into projects and the number one reason up to now has been aesthetic, price and performance in its category. However the Studio has its eyes and hearts set on major improvements.

“Continuous improvement is a part of our motto and we will always endeavour to stay ahead of the curve in as far as our offering goes,” says co-founder Ramielle de Jager.

Studio Kristin Hulda (www.kristinhulda.com)

Sustainable business practices

Reando Potgieter and Graeme Bramley are Industrial Designers by profession and co-founders of the business and have made it their mission to create a sustainable product. They are working hard to become a water positive plant and achieving their net Zero green rating is high on the priority list.

Reando and Graeme agree there is only one way forward and that is to live a conscious life, not be wasteful and think and produce sustainably. “We feel responsible for the planet we will leave future generations and as long as we create, we will think and create as sustainably as possible.”

Studio Kristin Hulda (www.kristinhulda.com)

Evolve

A large portion of the business happens within the hospitality industry and especially restaurants. 2020, however, has been a trying year as Covid 19 has negatively affected these businesses. With this in mind, Wolkberg identified an opportunity to give back to the people.

They created an 81% recycled and 100% Local Range called Evolve. This was linked to a campaign they created called Revive our amazing restaurants “ROAR”. Here, 10% of all sales would go towards client on their books that were affected negatively by the lockdown.

Evolve is made from recycled Limesite waste and all other raw materials are sourced locally with an effort to support and strengthen the supply chain in a time when businesses were struggling.

With all of this going on they caught the attention of many and it is no wonder they were nominated for the BUILD 2020 Construction & Engineering Awards. They are proud and deserving winners of the award for ‘Best Bespoke Tile & Surface Design Company 2020 – South Africa & BUILD Eco Award for Sustainable Design 2020’.

“We sincerely hope that we will be able to grow from strength to strength in South Africa and globally so that we can create employment and contribute meaningfully to the recovery of our economy,” says Ramielle de Jager.

In an effort to grow their presence globally, they were supposed to be a part of Milan Design Week 2020 but due to Covid this was put on hold and instead, they will be proudly exhibiting in Milan as soon as it is allowed.

Studio Kristin Hulda (www.kristinhulda.com)

For more visit Wolkberg Casting Studio.