Brazilian Natural Stone Industry Expands Dialogue with U.S. Government

At a meeting with the U.S. Consul General in São Paulo, the Brazilian Natural Stone Association discussed trade promotion, internationalization, and investment opportunities; talks are expected to continue in 2027.

The Brazilian natural stone industry's engagement in the United States has gained a new channel of dialogue with the U.S. government. During a meeting held on October 22 at the U.S. Consulate General in São Paulo, the Brazilian Natural Stone Association (Centrorochas) built on institutional discussions initiated in Washington, D.C., in July 2025, expanding opportunities for cooperation and business between the industries of both countries.

The meeting was attended by Consul General Kevin Murakami and representatives from the Consulate's Political and Economic Sections, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and SelectUSA, a U.S. government program dedicated to attracting foreign direct investment. Centrorochas was represented by its Vice President, Fabio Cruz, and Kristina Rosales, who leads the association's advocacy efforts in the United States.

The sector's diplomatic outreach was launched in response to the trade and tariff challenges faced by the Brazilian industry since last year, with the aim of preserving and strengthening a trade relationship built over decades. Brazil is among the leading suppliers of natural stone to the United States, which accounted for 53.6% of Brazil's natural stone exports in 2025, totaling approximately US$795 million. Building on this established relationship, Centrorochas seeks to expand its efforts beyond trade defense, including promoting Brazilian natural stone to architects, designers, builders, and other professionals who influence material specification.

“The United States is, by far, the largest international market for Brazilian natural stone. The next step is to turn this strong commercial presence into an even broader relationship, with greater promotion of our materials, international expansion of Brazilian companies, investment opportunities, and deeper integration with the U.S. supply chain. There is significant potential to achieve much more, and we want to build this next stage in a structured way,” said Fabio Cruz.

One of the meeting's highlights was a presentation by SelectUSA, which shared tools to support international expansion and experiences in connecting businesses with different regional markets across the United States. Opportunities discussed included initiatives to better understand business environments in individual U.S. states, identify potential partners, and assess incentives and investment opportunities. These resources could support both industry-wide initiatives and decisions by Brazilian companies seeking to expand their presence in the country.

The meeting also opened a direct channel of communication with the U.S. government, with discussions expected to continue as potential initiatives for 2027 are explored.

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