Brazilian Ornamental Stone Companies Showcase Innovative Designs, Products at Preeminent North American Event, Following Record-Setting Year for Exports

ApexBrasil and Centrorochas sponsor more than 70 Brazilian stone companies this week at Coverings Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, April 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ApexBrasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, along with partner organization Centrorochas, the Brazilian Center of Natural Stones Exporters, will sponsor 72 Brazilian exhibitors at Coverings 2022, taking place this week from April 5-8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For 30 years, Coverings has been the foremost event for the ceramic tile and natural stone industry in North America. The trade show is attended by thousands of distributors, retailers, stone fabricators, contractors, specifiers, architectural and design professionals, builders, and remodelers from all over the world.

The Brazilian companies that will be onsite at Coverings – which, in total, come from seven different Brazilian states and 29 cities – will showcase their products and designs to a global audience including industry professionals from the United States, the largest market (representing 62.7% of all sector exports in 2021) for Brazilian stone products. These companies represent the fast-growing stones sector in Brazil – a sector that is capturing international attention. In fact, Brazil's presence at Coverings 2022 comes on the heels of the most successful year for the Brazilian ornamental stones sector in history, which recorded USD $1.34 billion in export sales in 2021.

Maria Paula Sobral Velloso, Manager of Industry and Services at ApexBrasil, explains the importance of Brazil's participation at Coverings this year: "Brazilian stones have always been in high demand, and over the past year we've seen an exponential increase in exports from the sector. In fact, sales of Brazilian exports of ornamental stones in 2021 exceeded those in the entire history of the sector, with a 35.5% increase from 2020 alone. We are sponsoring the largest Brazilian presence ever seen on the Coverings trade floor as a recognition of this success. While at the event, the companies will be able to network with industry professionals, who attend Coverings with the goal of exploring trends and finding new global products to source. Brazil is well-equipped to scale to match international demand for natural stones that, thanks to our country's distinctive geological characteristics, can only be found in Brazil."

Some of the exciting Brazilian companies in attendance at this year's event include but are not limited to:

• Granos Granitos, one of the largest granite, quartzite and marble processing companies in Brazil which exports pearl and high-end stones.
• Decolores, a global exporter with a catalog of more than 100 natural stones ranging from classic to super exotic materials.
• Brasigran, a stone supplier carrying a variety of granite, quartzite, and marbles with an emphasis on beauty, durability, and sophistication.
• Pettrus, a producer and exporter of semiprecious and super exotic ornamental stones, which are mined from its own quarries.
• The Qualitá Group, an organization which has operated in the ornamental stone market for more than 30 years and invests in innovation and sustainability.
• Margramar, a producer and exporter of classic, exotic, and precious stones including jade, berillo, and breccia.

"We are delighted to collaborate with ApexBrasil for this event as a continuation of our partnership," said Tales Machado, President of Centrorochas. "Our organizations have worked extensively over the past year on our joint export incentive program, 'It's Natural - Brazilian Natural Stone,' which – in a year of logistical challenges related to global supply chains and container shortages – has successfully contributed to stimulating and increasing the exports of Brazilian ornamental stones worldwide. At Coverings, we hope to continue to convey the value of Brazilian stone to an audience of professionals looking to make new business and sourcing deals while in Las Vegas."

The inauguration of the Brazilian Pavilion – located in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center – will take place on the first day of Coverings, April 5th, at 3:00pm, PT. The celebration, which will mark the first year of ApexBrasil and Centrorochas' partnership at the event, will be attended by the Brazilian delegation and their guests and will give attendees the opportunity to explore the 1,780 square-meter space to enjoy food, drinks, and other elements of Brazilian culture.

ApexBrasil considers the ornamental stones industry as a key priority sector. To learn more about other trade sectors ApexBrasil supports, visit: http://www.apexbrasil.com.br/en/trade-sectors.

The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad, and to attract foreign investment to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. ApexBrasil organizes several initiatives aiming to promote Brazilian exports abroad. The Agency's efforts comprise trade and prospective missions, business rounds, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in major international trade fairs, arrangement of technical visits of buyers and opinion makers to learn about the Brazilian productive structure, and other select activities designed to strengthen the country's branding abroad. ApexBrasil also plays a leading role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil, by working to identify business opportunities, promoting strategic events and lending support to foreign investors willing to allocate resources in Brazil. ApexBrasil is an agency linked to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry (Itamaraty).

The Brazilian Center of Natural Stone Exporters (Centrorochas) is present in all the national demands to increase the competitiveness of the natural stone sector. The entity acts directly supporting the procedures related to the presence of Brazilian entrepreneurs abroad, combining commercial and operational activities related to the development and evolution of Brazilian companies.

Media Contact
Savanna Fuller
Ruder Finn – PR on behalf of ApexBrasil in the U.S.
[email protected]  
+1-808-317-8758

SOURCE ApexBrasil