Red Cup Village’s Luvuyo Ndiki disrupts the South African 3D printing landscape

By Charndré Emma Kippie

He is one of South Africa’s emerging icons in the 3D printing scene, and keeps proving that he’ll create his ‘cup of success’ and drink from it!

Luvuyo Ndiki is the bright mind behind Red Cup Village (established in 2014) – the local lifestyle brand dedicated to producing innovative, premium products geared towards helping users make a positive impact on our society. Luvuyo is known as the 3D printing enthusiast turned inventive entrepreneur who is now actively working towards inspiring the youth of SA and accelerating change, with the help of his dedicated, forward-thinking team.

Originally from Butterworth, a town in Eastern Cape, Luvuyo was raised in Bathurst. He eventually came to the Western Cape, where he studied Design Foundation at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), in 2010. It was during his tertiary education that he realised his inventive business idea. 

Please tell us a bit about your journey into 3D Printing. 

The Design Foundation gave me a wide view of the design disciplines, from architecture, interior design, graphic design, product design, surface design and fashion design. I majored in product design, known as 3D dimensional design, in 2011, but could not complete the course due to financial constraints. However, I was determined to graduate, so I enrolled in Public Relation Management, which I completed in 2014.

I fell in love with 3D printing and established Red Cup Village with the idea to make world-class 3D printing and scanning accessible to individuals, organisations and start-ups across various sectors.

It has been a long journey to where we are today: specialists in manufacturing on-demand consumer products and medical devices using 3D printing and scanning technology in combination with material science. Our platform allows users to construct personalised functional parts and products in a matter of hours, faster than traditional manufacturing processes, using biodegradable raw material derived from corn-starch, sugarcane and recycled plastics.

Your iconic branded cups are a local favourite. What is the inspiration behind your brand?

It’s not just a cup, but a lifestyle. We are building a global lifestyle brand through the best quality products using raw and locally-grown materials and ethical sourcing practices.

As a company, we look towards creating sustainable products for the environment and stimulate green economic growth in the country by producing local products from recycled plastics pallets. We also aim to empower young people to a lifestyle of unity, friendship and discovery. We want Red Cup Village to be a hub for innovative people from diverse cultures. We want South Africans to come together and drink from the same cup as one, united nation.

How is your company contributing to the upliftment of SA’s economy? 

I believe that Red Cup Village is helping to develop our country as we are creating job opportunities for the people farming corn in rural areas. 

What inspired you to pursue entrepreneurship?

One of my grandmothers was a retired teacher who owned a spaza shop selling paraffin, soap, snacks and other daily needs such as bread. She inspired me to do my own thing in life and not wait until you retired to start something. I learnt a lot about running your own types of business from my family values from farming vegetables such as corn in Nqamakwe.

Why are you so passionate about ‘going green’?

It is a choice…it makes sense (for us as a brand) to move this way because it does not make me happy to make money while filling up landfills with plastic, which would last for 200 years – 1000 years, which does not allow space for natural resources to be developed and ecosystems to survive.

Do you have any words of wisdom for other business owners who are also attempting to go green?

By going green, the rewards will be plenty for you in the future because the world economy is moving in this direction through instating environmental laws across the world.

What mantra do you live by?

“Business is all about making something out of nothing.” 

What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs?

Studying each and every department in your business will help you grow.

About Red Cup Village’s 3D Printing Farm – Paarden Eiland, Cape Town

• The company’s 3D printing farm makes world-class 3D printing and 3D scanning accessible to individuals, organisations and start-ups across various sectors through innovation concepts and premium products. 
• 3D printing enables users to access advanced time-to-market turnarounds. What usually takes 2 years to construct with traditional manufacturing takes a matter of hours utilising 3D printing. 
• Nowadays consumers want products that work well and they want them now, and it’s up to us manufacturers to meet these demands.
• The facility holds 117+ high performance Industrial/commercial 3D Printers with the capacity for mass volume customisation and personalisation.
• Services offered are: on-demand 3D scanning and printing, and 3D design and development. 

*Check out the latest edition of the Public Sector Leaders publication here.

For enquiries, regarding being profiled or showcased in the next edition of the Public Sector Leaders publication, please contact National Project Manager, Emlyn Dunn: 

Telephone: 086 000 9590 |  Mobile: 072 126 3962 |  e-Mail: emlyn.dunn@topco.co.za