Although BESCO’s sourcing strategy today is primarily focused on European resources, direct exchange on site remains essential. It enables us to assess technological innovations, monitor global price and supply dynamics, and selectively expand our design palette with distinctive materials, color variations, and production advancements.

Xiamen Stone Fair: The World’s Leading Trade Fair for Natural Stone

The Xiamen Stone Fair is among the most important international trade fairs for natural stone and stone products. It is dedicated to showcasing current materials and advanced processing technologies, complemented by design concepts for the use of stone in landscape architecture and interior spaces.

BESCO regularly attends the fair, most recently in 2024. In 2026, it once again provided an ideal platform to strengthen established relationships with producers, traders, and factories from around the world, while also engaging with potential new partners. Across the numerous national pavilions, Florian Geyer, Carl Duhn, and Malte Kern, together with our Chinese colleagues Milton Niu and Sandy Shen, explored the latest developments shaping the industry.

A particular highlight was the insight into forward-looking technologies. The BESCO team observed the increasing adoption of computer-assisted wire saw systems and CNC milling processes, combining precision with meaningful contributions to decarbonization.

“The fair demonstrates just how rapidly the stone industry is evolving,” says Florian Geyer, Managing Director of BESCO. “We closely monitor global market developments and evaluate which trends will shape our future projects.”

Beyond business appointments, the trip offered numerous opportunities for personal and intercultural exchange. In Xiamen, the team experienced the remarkable hospitality of our local colleagues during shared meals, gaining vivid insights into the diversity of Minnan cuisine. Evenings around the hotpot, a traditional form of communal dining where meat, vegetables, and noodles are prepared together at the table, became a memorable highlight.

Quality as a Collective Effort

In addition to the fair, the group visited partner facilities and quarries. Once again, it became clear that quality at BESCO is a true collective effort. While planners and clients define the requirements, our local teams ensure consistent implementation of belgrano® standards. Quality assurance at the production sites is in the hands of our experienced experts. As Production Support Managers, Milton Niu and Sandy Shen contribute decades of expertise in the natural stone sector.

“Each of these journeys is an exceptional experience for the entire team,” concludes Carl Duhn, Commercial Director at BESCO. “We are grateful for our reliable colleagues on site. Alongside business success and technological inspiration, we return with an even stronger sense of team cohesion.”

India: Innovation and Inspiration

Following their time in China, the team continued the journey in India, where visits to selected producers were at the forefront. These excursions not only enabled in-depth knowledge exchange but also served as a crucial step in evaluating local production conditions first-hand. A key objective was to identify distinctive stone types that would strategically complement the European portfolio.

The team engaged intensively with the geological characteristics of the materials on site. India offers an impressive range, from extremely dense, ancient granites and charnockites in the south to the durable basalts of the central Deccan Traps. While the region around Bangalore represents the core of the Indian granite industry, sandstone and limestone deposits predominantly shape the geological landscape in the north.

Among the discoveries was a stone with a distinctive visual character, offering strong potential as a complementary element in Scandinavian paving blends. The team also encountered materials with a surface aesthetic approaching the uniformity of engineered stone. Findings such as these expand the portfolio with valuable design options, enabling refined architectural expressions.

Beyond the professional agenda, India left a lasting impression. The vivid colors of the cities, the dynamic rhythm of the streets, and the characteristic aromas of local cuisine conveyed a powerful sense of cultural diversity.