In 2005, Minera Deisi initiated its operations in Peru. After testing its travertine quarries for quality concerning color, porosity, composition, mechanical properties and obtaining results of the highest standards, the decision was made to invest in a brand new plant using Italian-made machinery. The processing plant is located in the industrial city of Huaral, 50 miles north of Lime and relatively close to the main seaport of Callao, the main port of Peru. The quarries are located on the Central Andes Mountains at an elevation of 12,000 feet. The principal owners are the Diaz, Valle and Benavides families, well-reputed entrepreneurial families that have worked as associates for more than 40 years in different enterprises related to mining, industrial and real estate business.

“After cruising all the way from Bergamo, Italy, the machinery reached Huaral, 50 miles north of Lima, and was installed and ready to operate by December 2005,” said Jorge Perez-Wilson, commercial and sales manager for the company. “First orders were served in February 2006, and in a matter of months, Minera Deisi was catering its outstanding travertine tiles and complements to the finest stone retailers in the U.S. In 2007, the first factory expansion took place, strengthening stone-cutting capacity and overall production by 50%.”

After the hardships after the economy crash in 2008, Perez-Wilson said it made the company stronger than ever, having diversified into other markets around the globe, including those in Japan, England, most of central America and the Caribbean. “In the year 2013, the second expansion took place, this time acquiring machinery for the production of slabs,” said Perez-Wilson. “By the end of 2015, another addition to our production capabilities, a CNC bridge saw enables the company to further cater to high-end projects with complex needs. During this same period of time, our travertine quarries also developed and added more colors to our portfolio that currently comprises more than 20 varieties.”

Approximately 95% of the company’s export sales are through its import sale distributors. It owns more than five travertine quarries and works with at least three other quarries. The types of materials quarried are travertine and onyx. Minera Deisi employs more than 140 workers, approximately 40 workers at the quarries and more than 100 workers at the processing factory.

“The factory is 4 hectares in size, sharing this area among the processing factory lines, block yards, finished goods warehouse, water treatment plant and administrative offices,” said Perez-Wilson. “We have plant processing capacity to ship as many as 24 containers per month (25,000 square meters).”

Minera Deisi has a 25-ton hoist rail crane, block cutters, stone splitters, stone tile calibrating machines for all sizes and thicknesses, stone pores filler machines, polishing machines for tiles and slabs, a CNC bridge saw, rotary and vibrating tumbling machines, dryers and multidisc cutters for complements manufacturing. “These sets of machineries allow us to produce any kind of product that our clients may demand — from tiles, slabs, mosaics, moldings and sinks — to every kind of cut-to-size architectural accents,” said Perez-Wilson. “All of our manufacturing machinery is Italian made, from the most prestigious technologies. Minera Deisi opted for this kind of machinery because we recognize that high-quality products can only be ensured utilization of likewise top-quality machineries to produce them.”

The company’s quarries about 1,000 cubic meters of stone. Volume of each quarry depends highly on the demand of each stone variety. A total of 35% of this volume is exported to the U.S., while the rest is destined to other markets and less than 10% is directed to local markets.