Round of Negotiations in Northwestern Espírito Santo generates preliminary US$130,000 in sales, with a further US$4 million expected
The initiative connects international buyers with companies from one of Espírito Santo’s leading granite-producing regions, an area that has been affected by the U.S. tariff hike.
The round of negotiations held in the city of Barra de São Francisco on Tuesday (October 20) generated US$130,000 in immediate deals and an expected US$4 million in sales over the next 12 months. These preliminary results were achieved during 36 business meetings between 12 local natural stone companies and 3 international buyers from Australia, the United States, and Mexico.
The initiative is part of It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone, a sectoral promotion project developed by the Brazilian Natural Stone Association (Centrorochas) in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil). Barra de São Francisco was chosen due to its economic significance to the sector. As the city is Brazil’s third-largest natural stone exporter, with over US$150 million in foreign sales in 2025, it is part of a production hub that has been feeling the effects of the additional tariffs imposed by the United States on some Brazilian exports.
“The buyers were looking for blocks and slabs, ranging from standard to exotic materials. Besides the deals closed during the event, the contacts made could lead to new contracts in the coming months, according to the sales expectations shared by participants,” said Tales Machado, the president of Centrorochas.
The leader also took part in the event’s opening ceremony alongside the manager of It’s Natural, Thiago Fukuda, and Flávia Milaneze, the CEO of Milanez & Milaneze. Part of the Veronafiere group and responsible for organizing the industry trade fairs Marmomac Brazil and Cachoeiro Stone Fair, the company supported the round of negotiations held in Barra de São Francisco.
The business initiative is part of an international program running from Monday (October 19) through Friday (October 23), which includes visits to companies and extraction sites in the state of Espírito Santo. The schedule gives buyers an opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of the production infrastructure, processing methods, and the diversity of Brazilian materials, expanding potential business relationships beyond the scope of the meetings.
Participating companies
The companies that took part in the negotiations were Argos, Brito Stone Blessed, Comil, Fortuna, Gramazini, Granex do Brasil, Graniti, Guidoni, Monte Negro, Pemagran, Vilarinho, and Yellow Stone.
About It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone
It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone is an export promotion program developed by the Brazilian Natural Stone Association (Centrorochas) in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil). The program aims to encourage and increase exports of Brazilian natural stones, through a set of strategic internationalization actions with initiatives geared towards promotion, strengthening of the image and development of the industry in the global market. Companies interested in being part of the project must visit https://podio.com/webforms/26378838/1995038 to register for free.
About Centrorochas
Founded in 2004, the Brazilian Natural Stone Association (Centrorochas) is the national representative body for the Brazilian natural stone industry. Operating in 17 states, with a network of over 470 member and supported companies, it represents and coordinates one of the leading natural stone producing and exporting sectors in the world. The organization works to defend the interests and strengthen the competitiveness of the production chain, promoting dialogue with government authorities, institutions, and strategic partners. Its initiatives encompass sector development, sustainability, innovation, market intelligence and knowledge, training, trade promotion, and internationalization, contributing to enhancing the competitiveness and expanding the presence of Brazilian natural stones in Brazil and abroad.
About ApexBrasil
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. To achieve these objectives, the Agency carries out several trade promotion activities aimed at promoting exports and valuing Brazilian products and services abroad. They include prospective and trade missions, rounds of negotiations, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in major international fairs, and visits of foreign buyers and opinion formers to learn about the Brazilian production structure, among other business platforms that also aim to strengthen the Brazil brand. The Agency also works in coordination with public and private actors to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil, focusing on strategic sectors, aiming at the development of competitiveness of Brazilian companies and of the country.