Brazilian natural stone industry expands institutional presence in the United States during Brazil Week

The first official participation of the sector in the commemorative week held in New York further contributed to bringing the Brazilian stone industry closer to discussions on investments, critical and strategic minerals, infrastructure, and economic relations.

Internationally renowned for its leading role in exports of materials with high added value for architecture and construction, the Brazilian natural stone industry is beginning to establish a new area of activity in the United States: business and institutional diplomacy.

This movement gained momentum during Brazil Week, held in New York, where, for the first time, the sector officially took part in the program through the Brazilian Natural Stone Association (Centrorochas). Throughout the week, the association’s delegation attended meetings that brought together investors, entrepreneurs, diplomatic representatives, and public leaders, holding debates on industry, mining, infrastructure, critical minerals, and economic relations between Brazil and the United States.

The Brazil-U.S. Industry Day 2026, promoted by the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI) in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, was one of the main activities. It took place on May 11. The meeting brought together more than 500 business and institutional leaders to discuss industrial development, supply chain integration, and opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries.

Besides Brazil-U.S. Industry Day, the program included participation in the event Brazilian Regional Markets (BRM), promoted by Apex Partners. It focused on presenting the economic potential of the so-called “Brazilian Jaguars,” states and regions with above-average national growth.

In these meetings, Centrorochas’ delegation was in contact with institutions such as CNI, ApexBrasil, Atlantic Council, Apex Partners, the Embassy of Brazil in Washington, and the Consulate General of Brazil in New York, as well as Brazilian and U.S. investors, entrepreneurs, and public officers.

Ricardo Alban (CNI), Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti (Embassy of Brazil in Washington), Thiago Miranda (Consulate General of Brazil in New York), Paulo Baraona (Findes), Rodrigo Fonseca (ApexBrasil NY), and Governors Eduardo Leite (from the state of Rio Grande do Sul) and Romeu Zema (from the state of Minas Gerais) were among the leaders, as well as Rafael Furlanetti (XP Inc.).

According to the vice president of Centrorochas, Fábio Cruz, the main noticeable sign was the spontaneous involvement of the industry in discussions that, until recently, were restricted to traditional sectors of manufacturing and mining. “This movement is the result of a structured program geared towards business diplomacy, which was initially created with the tariff changes imposed on international trade by the United States. Since then, under the coordination of Centrorochas, the sector has begun to act more consistently in the U.S. market, including the hiring of a local office specializing in governmental and institutional relations,” he explained.

Made possible by the support of Brazilian companies with a strong business presence in the United States, the initiative was designed as a long-term strategy to expand the institutional positioning of Brazilian natural stones in the U.S. market, reaffirming that the sector plays an important role as a supplier of strategic non-metallic minerals to the construction and manufacturing production chain in the USA.

In addition to the participation of the vice president of Centrorochas, the delegation of the sector included the manager of the sectoral project It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone, Thiago Fukuda, and the head of institutional communication, Karina Porto-Firme.