“We discovered that the exotics that were popular in Brazil were very popular in Italy and the U.S., and we had the technology to produce these materials,” explained Silveira, who pointed out that Granos was the first company to import a Breton slab polishing line from Italy.
Today, advances in technology such as resin products and machinery have allowed Granos to process a deeper range of materials than ever before. “Our point of view really changed after 2002, when we began exporting exotic slabs,” Silveira said. “In that way, it’s a new company. But even though technology led the way, the workers made it happen.”