Negotiation meetings were held among 24 companies in the industry and 9 international buyers during Cachoeiro Stone Fair, in the city of Cachoeiro do Itapemirim (in the state of Espírito Santo). The program is carried out by ApexBrasil and relied on the partnership with Centrorochas for the stage held in Espírito Santo
The second stage of the program Export More Brazil, focusing on natural stones, ended with great news: 24 Brazilian companies in the natural stone industry closed around R$ 15 million in deals for the 12 upcoming months. The negotiations took place between August 22 and 24 during the 32nd edition of Cachoeiro Stone Fair 2023, the largest business showcase in the Brazilian stone market, held annually in the city of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (in the state of Espírito Santo).
Overall, there were more than 150 meetings, held between 24 Brazilian companies in the natural stone industry – headquartered in the states of Ceará, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná and mainly Espírito Santo – and 9 international buyers from Germany, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Argentina and South Africa. Espírito Santo is the leading Brazilian state in the production and foreign trade of natural stones: in 2022 alone, it accounted for 81.8% of all sales from Brazil to the international market.
The program Export More Brazil, carried out by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), seeks an active closeness to all regions of the country to boost exports. In Espírito Santo, the stage was held in partnership with the Brazilian Center of Natural Stone Exporters (Centrorochas), ApexBrasil’s partner in It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone, a sectorial project to promote exports of Brazilian natural stones. Along with Milanez & Milaneze, Centrorochas recruited the 24 Brazilian companies that participated in the business meetings.
Jean-Pierre Pieterse, a representative of the company JP Marble Classic, from South Africa, was part of the team of buyers participating in the second stage of Export More Brazil in Espírito Santo. Upon returning to his country, the entrepreneur was satisfied: “My experience here in Brazil was great. I did not expect to see such a wide variety of colors available. I am grateful to ApexBrasil and to Cachoeiro Stone Fair for bringing us here and showing us a wonderful reality. We look forward to engaging with Brazilian stones and the companies we were honored to visit here,” he said.
Schedule
The activities of the second stage of Export More Brazil began on August 21, with the event Dialogues Export More Brazil, at the headquarters of the Confederation of Manufacturing Companies of the state of Espírito Santo (FINDES), in the city of Vitória. The organization collaborates with ApexBrasil to carry out the Export Qualification Program (PEIEX), which has been training 150 companies from the state to export in 2023-2025. ApexBrasil’s Director of Corporate Management, Floriano Pesaro, welcomed participants, including entrepreneurs, politicians, journalists and organizations in the industry.
Besides the opening ceremony, which was attended by local authorities, there was also a panel on opportunities for exports and investments in Espírito Santo, a state where the number of companies registered in the list of Brazilian Exporters and Importers of the Ministry of Economy almost doubled in the span of a decade: from 488, in 2012, to 873, in 2022. The information was gathered by FINDES’ Observatory of the Manufacturing Companies. Another panel also discussed female leadership in foreign trade, as part of ApexBrasil’s efforts to increase the presence of women in international business, where they are still underrepresented.
The second stage of Export More Brazil also included technical visits, aiming to deepen knowledge about manufacturing clusters in the natural stone sector. The schedule included a trip to IMIL’s quarry to monitor the extraction process up close and visits to companies to understand the manufacturing process, the technology used and the evolution of the industry in terms of sustainability. The companies MAGBAN, ANGRAMAR, DECOLORES, PETTRUS, MARGRAMAR and MARBRASA were visited.
The natural stone industry
With the greatest geological diversity in the world and more than 1200 varieties of materials, Brazil is the 4th largest producer of natural stones in the world and the 5th largest exporter of this product. In 2021, the sector broke a historic record in exports, with revenues of USD 1.33 billion. It was the best year-over-year growth in 18 years, at approximately 36%.
In 2022, the segment exported USD 1.28 billion, with only a slight decrease compared to 2021. It currently holds the relevant position of leading supplier in the United States, the largest consumer market in the world.
In fact, the United States was the destination for more than half of the sector’s exports (58%), followed by China (13%) and Italy (8%). Espírito Santo is by far the Brazilian champion in the industry: in 2022, it accounted for 81.8% of all sales from Brazil to the international market. The state was followed by Minas Gerais, with 10.9%, and by Ceará, which produced 3.1% of the amount exported.
Cachoeiro Stone Fair 2023
The stage of the program Export More Brazil in Espírito Santo took place along with the 32nd edition of Cachoeiro Stone Fair, the largest business showcase in the Brazilian stone market. With the theme “Step into the future,” the fair aimed to inspire visitors to broaden their horizons, in addition to interacting with innovations, trends and technologies used in the natural stone industry. The event was an opportunity to learn about the main innovations in machines, products, inputs and services related to Brazilian stones.
The event was organized by Milanez & Milaneze, a company of the group Veronafiere; promoted by the Association of Natural Stone, Lime and Limestone Companies in the state of Espírito Santo (Sindirochas) and the Technological Center of Marble and Granite (Cetemag); supported by Centrorochas and sponsored by the cooperative bank Sicoob.
About Export More Brazil
With the slogan “Touring the country so that our companies take over the world,” the program Export More Brazil seeks active closeness with all regions of the country to boost exports. Through the program, Brazilian companies will have the opportunity to meet with international buyers who will come to the country in search of products and services related to specific sectors.
In the negotiation meetings promoted by ApexBrasil, a total of more than 100 foreign buyers and 300 Brazilian companies will be brought together, in an unprecedented and nationwide initiative. Buyers will also participate in technical visits, in order to better understand how the national production process works.
By the end of the year, Export More Brazil will carry out 13 stages aimed at different sectors, in 13 Brazilian states. The next stage of the program, aimed at the Amazonian Robusta Specialty Coffee industry, will take place between August 27 and September 2, in the city of Cacoal (in the state of Rondônia). Learn more at https://apexbrasil.com.br/exportamaisbrasil
About It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone
It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone is an export promotion program developed by the Brazilian Center of Natural Stone Exporters (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 actions geared towards promotion, strengthening of the image and development of the industry in the global market.
About Centrorochas
The Brazilian Center of Natural Stone Exporters is active in all national demands to increase the competitiveness of the natural stone industry. The organization acts directly by providing support in the procedures related to the presence of Brazilian entrepreneurs abroad, along with commercial and operational activities for the development and evolution of Brazilian companies.
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