Since its beginnings in 1987, CaesarStone Quartz Surfaces has continued to expand and evolve. Today, with over 200 employees in the U.S. and 600 worldwide, the Israeli company has more than doubled its slab production capacity within the last three years. It has a national distribution system in the U.S. with over 20 distributors, and it owns six CaesarStone branches nationwide, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Washington, DC, New York and Miami.

CaesarStone's manufacturing facilities sit on more than 30 acres near the ancient city of Caesarea in Israel. The company is owned by Kibbutz Sdot Yam, and when it opened distributorship in the U.S. in the mid-1990s, Arik Tendler was named president, servicing professional stone fabricators across the country through warehouses in every major city. As part of doubling its production capacity, CaesarStone recently built a second factory. Both are equipped with state-of-the-art machinery from Breton S.p.A. of Castello di Godego, Italy. "Three years ago, we had two production lines producing 25,000 slabs per month in one factory," said Tendler. "Currently, we have four production lines and two factories. Each produces 15,000 slabs per line -- totaling 60,000 slabs per month."

Tendler went on to explain that in 2006, CaesarStone invested in equipment and introduced procedures/compliances that allowed the company to reach its goals as a product manufacturer, which was a commitment to a better quality environment. "We are the first and only quartz surfacing manufacturer to achieve ISO 14001 certification," he said. "Other commitments include continual monitoring and compliance and incorporating new methods and measures such as recycling waste materials, storage, etc. ISO 14001 certification requires an environmental policy to be in existence."

Creating new products

Because CaesarStone is committed to producing high-quality products and offering their customers a broad selection of options, the company is always working to introduce new colors and finishes. Its factories run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year long.

"We take a continuous proactive approach in improving our quartz surfaces -- both aesthetically and functionally," said Tendler. "We have added tools and equipment that enable us to support the requests and demands of the market, in addition to creating new trend-setting colors and finishes."

In total, CaesarStone offers 40 varieties of quartz products -- eight of which were launched in May of 2007. These new shades include: Espresso, Mulberry Mist, Raven, Pebble, Amazon Green, Bedrock, Sandalwood and Nougat. Nine out of the 40 are available in both honed and polished finishes.

"Honed finishes are in high demand because they offer a beautiful natural texture," said Tendler. "CaesarStone's honed finishes are non-porous, never have to be sealed, and they are stain resistant."

Marketing CaesarStone

With over 20 distributors in the U.S., CaesarStone products are on display in more than 6,000 showrooms nationwide, according to Tendler. "We do not offer our products in Big Box stores to favor our dealer and fabricator partners by driving demand to them instead of third parties," he said.

The company works hard to satisfy all customer requests and market demands. As a result, CaesarStone is available in both 2 and 3 cm.

Most recently, CaesarStone opened new showrooms in San Leandro, CA, and Miami, which were designed to reach out to the architects and designers that use its products. "As CaesarStone's presence continues to grow in these markets, it is imperative to provide the support that architects and designers need to be successful," stated Tendler. "These new showrooms were created with that one goal in mind. Our partnership with the industry professionals who use our materials is important to CaesarStone, and we've incorporated that belief into the design of our new showrooms."

In addition to North America, CaesarStone products are distributed in Israel, Africa and Asia. The company has recently completed several commercial and residential projects, and its products have also been used in home remodels on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" as well as HGTV's "Flip This House." Additionally, Caesarstone specially developed a customized pure white color of quartz surfacing for the countertops in the Good Housekeeping Institute's new facility in Manhattan.

Because of its growth in this area, CaesarStone has established departments to specifically focus on it. "We have developed several departments, including Business Development and CaesarStone Projects -- all which initiate new business while streamlining and managing our current projects through the whole process," said Tendler.