Over the past 18 years, Brasvit Granitos & Mineracao S.A. has grown to become one of the major exporters of granite in Brazil, and it is part of a group which has been trading in the import and export industry for more than 30 years. Recently, the company - which is owned by Vittorio Tedeschi, president, and Reginald Tedeschi, vice president/director - boosted its production with a new state-of-the-art slab line in Vitória.








The centerpiece of the new slab production facility is a Simec NP 2100 RX polishing line from Italy, which represents the latest generation of stoneworking technology in the field. The line is equipped with 21 polishing heads, and after polishing, the slabs are buffed with a layer of wax before being shipped. Slab polishing is also completed on a Levibreton KG polishing line from Breton of Italy, which is equipped with 17 polishing heads.








Brasvit produces 55 to 60 containers of slabs per month, representing around 22,000 square meters. According to Reginald Tedeschi, the machinery actually allows for a total production rate of 45,000 square meters per month, but the company focuses on quality over quantity. Brasvit is focusing on rare and unique stone materials in slab format, and the value of its containers has grown 75%. Exotics include materials such as Tourmaline, Iron Red, Blue Imperial, Delicatus, Ebony Crystal and Green Electra. Currently, sales of exotic materials represent 85% of overall business.








Prior to polishing, slabs are treated as required with Tenax resin products. Because of the attention to detail needed for exotic materials, the resin is applied by hand, so workers can address specific areas of a slab that may need more treatment. Additionally, highly skilled employees use crushed pieces of the actual stone material to create custom filler products as needed. After the resin is applied, it is cured in Rosh Industrial driers.










In addition to the polishing lines, equipment at the plant includes four Gaspari Menotti gangsaws. Additionally, Brasvit has invested in a environmental water treatment system that removes mud from the water so it can be reused for stone processing in the future.










A total of 92% of Brasvit's finished production is exported, primarily to the U.S., which consumes 70%. Brasvit sells exclusively to distributors, and Tedeschi reports that the company is selective in choosing distributors that sell based on value as opposed to price. It also sees solid geographical distribution, without overloading any single location. In all, there are only 28 Brasvit distributors throughout the U.S.









In addition to slab production, Brasvit also does some custom fabrication for high-end projects, such as the vanity tops at The Borgata Casino in Atlantic City. For this type of work, the company uses a Contourbreton CNC stoneworking center from Breton of Italy.