Business/Corporates to watch
Brian-Gabriel Chiedozie Ndubuisi
Aug
Age: 31 • Entrepreneur • Paperware Ltd, Nigeria
“Nothing goes exactly as planned; theory is often very different from reality; consistency is the hard part, but it eventually pays off”
Brian-Gabriel Chiedozie Ndubuisi is a medical doctor and CEO of Paperware Ltd., a company that manufactures eco-friendly and biodegradable food packaging. After leaving Nigeria at the age of 18 for Russia to study medicine at Peoples’ Friendship University (PFUR), Moscow, he returned in 2012 to take the medical licensing exam. After passing his exams, he completed his internship (House Job) at Federal Medical Center Katsina. During his NYSC in 2014/15, he took online courses in entrepreneurship and economics, and then started Paperware Ltd. in 2015.
He has a vision of a zero-plastic food packaging society. Read on to find out what inspired him and his advice for founders on what to consider before scaling a business.
1. Please can you tell us about your academic background and what inspired you to start Paperware?
I have a medical degree from Patrice Lumumba University (Peoples’ Friendship University), Moscow, Russia. That also came with a diploma as a Russian–English translator and as a tutor of the Russian language.
If you’re finding it hard connecting the dots to how that translated to manufacturing paper cups, consider that wholesome education is supposed to teach us to think and to solve problems… any problems.
Why Paperware? Well, I come from a family of manufacturers. My maternal grandfather had a factory that manufactured metallic basins and kitchenware before the civil war. Growing up in Aba, I slept to the rhythm of heavy machinery because my father was a plastic ware manufacturer, and his facility shared a fence with our house. So maybe I’m just continuing the family business.
There’s a moral burden one carries knowing they contribute to the plastic waste on our streets and dumpsites. You may not feel it as much as a consumer, but if you manufacture plastics or hand out thousands of plastic packs monthly, and are aware of their impact, you feel that burden.
My father did. He started a plastic recycling line and paid people to collect plastic waste before recycling became “cool.” With Paperware Ltd., I’ve taken it a step further. We may not stop consumerism, but we can make disposable packages more eco-friendly. Our products are biodegradable — they rot over time and don’t poison the land or sea.
2. What has the reception to your company been?
The reception has been overwhelmingly positive. Most people intuitively recognize that our products are better for the environment than plastic. But paper packaging is more expensive, which makes switching harder for Nigerians.
At Paperware, we innovate to drive prices down and make products more functional than plastic alternatives. We offer bright-colored, customizable designs for events and businesses. We’ve also developed origami-style food boxes that reduce volume for storage and transport.
Our products are leak-proof, suitable for hot or cold, oily or wet foods — even jollof rice or egusi soup — and outperform plastics in many ways while being eco-friendly.
3. The idea of Paperware is to reduce plastic waste and create biodegradable items. How do you ensure your company doesn’t contribute to deforestation, since paper comes from trees?
We only source paper from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certified suppliers. This ensures the paper comes from sustainably managed forests. Paper today is one of the most sustainable packaging methods — it’s widely recycled and safe for land and marine life.
4. Did you get investors at the inception of your company or was it primarily bootstrapped?
I got investors, but only for the machinery and a year’s rent. We still had to grind our way out.
5. How did you know this would be a viable market in Nigeria?
I was familiar with the plastic packaging industry through my father. There’s a large market in Nigeria for food, and therefore for food packaging. We aren’t doing something entirely new — we’re just offering a more sustainable alternative.
6. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced so far?
Where do I start?
General challenges in Nigeria:
- Poor electricity
- Excessive and multiple taxes
- Complicated and unpredictable regulations
- Bad road networks and expensive logistics
- Limited access to funding and foreign markets
Manufacturing-specific challenges:
- Our facility is 100% powered by generators
- Power supply is unreliable and can damage machinery
- All raw materials are imported with high customs duties
- Lack of local technical expertise
Industry-specific challenges:
- Regulatory bodies don’t fully understand our industry
- It’s hard to get proper documentation
- Customs don’t treat our paper as raw material
- Regulatory gaps slow down distribution
7. You started with paper cups and are expanding into food packaging. What advice would you give to entrepreneurs looking to scale?
Start with your consumers — give them a reason to come back. Then, consider your customers — the distributors and middlemen. What’s in it for them? Only then think about yourself. If others can profit from selling your product, your distribution will scale naturally. Price your product with all parties in mind.
8. What is the most important thing running a company has taught you?
That nothing goes exactly as planned. Theory is often very different from reality. Consistency is the hard part — but it pays off.
9. What’s your vision for Cups and Paper? What do you hope to achieve with your work?
Our vision is zero plastic in disposable food packaging. We aim to make paper solutions affordable and more functional than plastic — cost-effective for the common person and practical to use. That’s how we believe we’ll help create a sustainable future for everyday Nigerians and Africans.
Interviewer:
Lydia Ume is a writer and blogger specializing in copywriting and UX design for SMEs. A graduate student of African Literature at the University of Nigeria, she is also a Spark Hub Fellow (2019), For Creative Girls Mentee (2019), and a Resplash Leadership Student (2019). She writes on gender, culture, arts, and technology and has been published on Bellanaija, ForCreativeGirls, Storied, and more.