A panacea for worktop surfaces

The Spanish Cosentino Group is a global, family-owned company that produces and distributes high value innovative surfaces for the world of design and architecture.

It began in 1940, when Eduarda and Eduardo Cosentino, parents of the current owners of the Cosentino Group, started quarrying and carrying out basic marble processing in Macael, Almeria.

This led to the second generation in 1979 – working in the same field – to create Mármoles Cosentino SA, which expanded to other parts of Spain and Europe. The company was then run by the Martinez- Cosentino brothers who realised that the company’s activity should not be limited to just extracting and processing ‘White Macael’ marble and so it was decided to adopt a strategy of diversification and international expansion by investing in research and innovation which culminated in an ambitious project involving the construction of a factory where Silestone was first manufactured in 1990.

Five years later this product was a huge success in the kitchen worktop sector. Silestone is a compound made of natural quartz, making it exceptionally hard and resilient. It is said to be the first and only quartz worktop with anti-bacterial protection. So, apart from applications in kitchens and bathrooms, the product is ideal for laboratories, hospitals, hotels, restaurants and other professional uses where minimal joins are required. It comes in a wide range of colours and finishes.

With further research and development other materials and technologically advanced surfaces were later created in their respective sectors such as Eco, Cosentino’s recycled surface; Sensa, the company’s line of granite with innovative anti-stain protection and a 15-year warranty; and more recently Dekton, an ultra-compact surface that aims to be in the forefront of the world of architecture and design worldwide.

The group currently distributes its products to more than 80 countries, directly controlling and managing its facilities in over 20 countries from its headquarters in Almeria, Spain, and owns more than 20 of these facilities.

The multinational has seven factories (six in Almeria and one in Brazil;) 15 kitchen and bathroom surface production centres (14 in the US and one in Almeria); one intelligent logistics centre (in Spain); two distribution hubs in the US, and over 90 Cosentino Centres around the world. Its international markets generate some 90% of the group’s turnover. Cosentino sponsored the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016’ with the Dekton ultra compact surface.

On June 13, for the first time in New York, the presentation gala was held in the prestigious Cipriani Club on Wall Street. Dekton was present as the official kitchen countertop supplier. Entitled ‘A taste of Dekton’, and offered to the 700+ chefs, restaurateurs and food industry professionals and media a selection of traditionally made ice cream was prepared directly on the ultra-compact countertop.

During that same day Cosentino opened its doors to its Manhattan exhibition space, Cosentino City, and invited this select international gastronomy community to a brunch for them to see the group’s Big Apple showroom in person where Cosentino’s innovative surfaces were on show.

This was the sixth time that the Cosentino Group was part of this event. Santiago Alfonso, Cosentino’s group communication and marketing director said: “It was an honour to be there at this world event for the sixth consecutive year and to complement the gala by opening our City showroom in Manhattan to the top chefs and restaurateurs in the world. Thanks to their technical and aesthetic features, many of the chefs included on the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list use Cosentino surfaces in their kitchens.”

The ultra-compact surface Dekton is present in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the world, such as The French Laundry in California, Restaurant André in Singapore, DiverXo in Madrid and Dani Garcia in Marbella.

Dekton is a sophisticated mixture of raw materials that is used to manufacture glass, porcelain materials and quartz surfaces. The surface can recreate any type of material with a high level of quality. It is manufactured in large format (up to 320 x 144cm) and thin thicknesses (0.8, 1.2 and 2cm). The product is resistant to UV rays, scratches, stains, thermal shock and has very low water absorption.

Developed exclusively by the Cosentino Group’s R&D department, Dekton is manufactured with Technology Sinterized Particles (TSP), an innovative ultracompaction process.

Cosentino is currently continuing the expansion of its distribution network in North America, with 39 Cosentino centres in the region: 35 in the US and four in Canada.

During the first half of 2016 the multinational has opened three new facilities of this kind which combine the functions of warehouse, training centre, offices and showroom.

The most recent inauguration took place in New Orleans, an infrastructure of almost 2000m2 with the very latest technology for distribution and exhibition, such as a sample showroom with an LED system. This centre will support and offer direct service to the community of designers, architects and retailers in the major city of the state of Louisiana.

A centre was opened in Portland in April and in New Jersey in May. These infrastructures mean entry into new states and Cosentino now has company-owned facilities in almost half the country’s 50 states.