42 years of innovation
In the One-to-One column, NTCA Executive Director Bart Bettiga interviews industry leaders about pertinent topics.
Cosentino’s origins date back to a small town in southern Spain called Macael, and a modest family-owned marble manufacturing company founded by Italian immigrants in 1945. The founders of this small workshop were Eduardo Cosentino and Eduarda Justo. Little did they know that this would be the seed of the multinational company we know today.

In 1991, they found the key to their future: Silestone®. This new surface, made from minerals and pigments, was far from natural stone and brought something revolutionary to the kitchen for the first time: color. This material was designed for various applications, but it was hailed by professionals as a revolution in the kitchen world, allowing for more open and colorful spaces with functional design countertops.
International expansion began soon after, with the opening of the first branch called Cosentino North America. Thanks to the success of the Silestone product in several European countries, Israel, Canada and the USA, there was constant export activity, which led to the creation of the first international subsidiary.
Innovation is an intrinsic part of Cosentino’s DNA, and there is no greater proof than the investment and effort put into the 2013 launch of a new ultracompact surface that captivated the imagination of architecture and design: Dekton. Due to its technical properties, Cosentino paves the way to new applications, large indoor and outdoor projects, and more.
Today, Cosentino employs over 6,000 people from all over the world and is one of the most important industry leaders in the hard surface industry. We caught up with Massimo Ballucchi, Vice President of Industrial Relations, for this exclusive One to One interview.
Tell us a little about Cosentino’s marketing and sales strategy as it exists today.
We are a manufacturer and distributor of architectural solutions. We offer three different brands: Silestone (mineral hybrid category), Dekton (ultra compact category), and Sensa (protected stone program). Here in the U.S., we have a strong presence, with 65 showroom locations and 15 city centers, located mainly in design districts around different parts of the country. Dallas and Hawaii will open in 2025. We also have three huge hubs in the Northeast, Houston area and West Coast, with inventory available to support our showrooms.


What is unique about the composition of your three brands? What advantages do these products offer as architectural solutions?
This is very important. With Silestone, we have moved from being a quartz surface to a mineral hybrid surface. This is important because we have been able to innovate over time to produce the product with less silica in this hybrid technology, using recycled materials, 100% renewable energy, and more. The entire line is below 40% silica content, demonstrating our technological innovation to meet the needs of the market.
How was Cosentino able to read the market related to silica reduction in the composition of your products, and why is this so important?
Silestone was always a safe product – and fabricators and contractors must follow regulations and utilize recommended tools and equipment to maintain health protocols. We saw that by reducing some silica content we could help our customers in that respect. This is part of our corporate strength in anticipating the future and meeting the needs of the industry.
With products developed towards architectural solutions, what is your sales strategy to make sure these materials are installed correctly?
We have products that fit the kitchen and bath channel, and our sales team works closely to ensure the sale and installation are done successfully. For the tile contracting community, we have created a quick ship program of tiles in a variety of sizes – 28″ x 28″ and 28″ x 56″ Dekton is an example. These products also include shower pans for bathroom installations. We have solutions that can be installed on floors and walls, and of course a strong market opportunity for us is in outdoor applications, which is an exploding market in many areas. Exterior cladding and outdoor living are both a big part of our strategy moving forward.


What is the best way for a residential or commercial tile or flooring contractor to develop a relationship with Cosentino?
Reach out to the closest general manager of one of our many locations to establish an account and have a meeting to discuss the many opportunities there are to do business with our team. Our showrooms are beautiful instruments and tools to do business for our clients, but we don’t sell from our showrooms. We sell to kitchen and bath clients, contractors and remodelers, builders etc. and they use our showrooms to make selections.
How does Cosentino approach training and education efforts for your clients?
We put a lot of effort to provide important technical information on our websites and in our marketing materials. This is also part of my job in developing relationships with associations like NTCA, National Stone Institute, International Surface Fabricators Association, NKBA, etc. We work closely to develop training programs and installation best practices with all of our customers.
Are there any other plans for expansion or growing the North American market?
We are very excited about our future in North America. In Jacksonville, Fla. we invested in a large amount of land of 330 acres located close to railroad transportation and shipping ports. We plan to start up production in 2028 and estimate this to be about a $280 million investment. When you add it up, we have 2,400 employees in the U.S. and have invested in real estate and developed showrooms, hubs, city centers. Now with a production facility, you can see how important this market is to Cosentino. This factory will also create new jobs in the Florida market so we are really excited about this market and our growth potential with our products.
Bart Bettiga is the Executive Director of the National Tile Contractors Association. Bettiga is a member of the Board of Governors of Coverings, one the largest tradeshows in North America. He has over 30 years of experience in the tile and stone industry and has served as the NTCA Executive Director since 2002. He is a well known speaker and author on ceramic tile and natural stone distribution and installation. He oversees the financial operations of the NTCA, TileLetter and the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation.