Many countries in our stone industry are usually associated with one particular stone, even if there is a wide range of materials available. For Portugal, in spite of the wide range of granites and marbles it undoubtedly possesses, the first name that often comes to mind is ROSA PORTUGUESE. This widely known pink marble has been the "flagship" of the Portuguese stone industry for years, and remains, even today, the most exported stone from the country, and is well known in all the major and minor markets of the world. And yet, frequently, despite the brand name's status it enjoys, not much more is known about this limestone, apart from the common remark "it is not very uniform" that usually accompanies any talk about it. This article is an attempt to provide more details of what is surely one of the major stones in the world around which an important industry has developed over the years.
Quarries
It is hard to show a definite image of Rosa Portuguese, such is the irregularity of colours and tones of the material. There is no such thing as a "typical" sample of the material- ask any manufacturer to send you a typical "sample" or a photograph and he will usually reply that there is no such thing. The lack of uniformity is precisely one of its biggest charm. And all those dealing with the stone insist that, almost by definition, every sample of a tile is different from the other. It is probably more appropriate to refer to Rosa Portuguese as being the limestone of a predominantly pink colour that is quarried in an 11 km range between Estremoz and Borba.
That this area is so important to the Portuguese stone industry is reflected in the fact that about 60% of the country's total production is concentrated here and the importance of the stone industry here is all the more striking since Alentejo is among the 25 poorest regions of the European Union.
All the pink quarries are to be found close to each other and are of the same geographical formation. There are three tones, the combination of which help to differentiate between one type and the other - white, pink and creme. There are about 8 active quarries of the white, pink and cream tones. In Estremoz the quarries of white and cream tones are to be found while in Borba it is predominantly the pink, the medium light and dark versions of the stone that is found. Away from this region, in Vila Viçosa, a little of all varieties can be found.
The biggest company of the area is MARMOZ, which exploits 7 quarries with a total production of 1500 cubic metres a year. MARMOZ, part of the MARBRITO group, has been functioning since 1968. Its dark pink material is known by the name of Rosa Borba. The company PLACIDO JOSE SIMOES has 5 quarries in the area. The company MARMOROSA exploits 3 quarries. There are also many other companies with quarries of this famous material. For example, MARVISA exploits 2 quarries, the company MARMETAL exploits 3 quarries, ANTONIO GALEGO exploits 2 quarries, MARGRATEX 1 quarry, EZEQUIEL has 1 quarry, JM NOBRE 3 quarries, MARMORES DO CONDADO 2 quarries, ANTONIO MOCHO 2 quarries, PEDRA VERDE 3 quarries, SOLUBEMA has 2 quarries in pink and others in cream colour. Some of these companies sell blocks to others for transformation, while others have their own transforming facilities. In general, however, the quarry owners seems reluctant to set up his own transforming facilities preferring to sell blocks to the factories in the area, or in Pero Pinheiro, or to companies abroad.
The growth of the industry in recent years as a result of a booming Portuguese economy can be seen in the following numbers: in 1995 there were 233 quarries in the area with estimated production being 630,000 tons; by the year 2000, the number of quarries had increased to 314 and production was about 1.000.000 tons, an increase more than 30%.
Different names of materials
As for names of this material there is a bewildering number of them to describe each variety, a logical consequence of the great differences in tonality. To give an example, they are variously called Rosa Salmon, Rosa Aurora Pink, Rosa Borba, Rosa de Monte, Rosa Rosal Medium, Rosa Rosal, Rosa Rosal Pessego, Rosa Salmon Venado, Rosa El-Rei ... depending on the quarries, the company that is commercialising it, and the tones of the material. This confusion has now spread to other countries. In USA, for example, Rosa Aurora is the name by which Rosa Portuguese is known, especially for the darker pink version. In Europe, however, it is the light pink that is more commonly called Rosa Aurora. As with many other materials, the highly subjective definition of quality is linked to the veins- more veins, less quality.
Qualities
But the different names only reflect the large varieties of the limestone. The real difference, however, between one type of pink and the other can basically be explained in the following way:
- Is the stone with or without veins?
- What is the colour of veins - which could be of 3 types: dark coloured veins, green veins or red veins?
According to the experts, out of total production only 5% of the material can be classified as being of the first extra quality according to the conventional terms used in the stone industry. About 15% would be classified as being of second quality, 35% of the third, and about 45% would come under the fourth level, whatever it means.
In terms of price, stones with less veins command a higher market price.
Companies
The biggest company in the area is Marbrito. It employs a total of 200 employees and its production of slabs is around 120000 square metres per month and tiles of around 70000 square metres per month. The other major transforming companies are ETMA and MARGRATEX.
Markets
As with so much of the stone industry, this stone was first promoted about 35 years ago by the Italians until, slowly, the local industry began to develop and grow.
The biggest market for Rosa Portuguese is undoubtedly its neighbour, Spain, which, with its vibrant construction activity in the last five years, has developed a huge demand for Rosa Portuguese. But exports to Italy, Germany, and USA are also important. China, and in general the Far East, still remains a relatively unexplored market. According to the local manufacturers, in Spain the demand is for the cheaper version of Rosa Portuguese.
Recent trends and the future
In line with the booming Portuguese economy, the dynamism of the construction industry has ensured a high demand for all kinds of stones in recent years. Portuguese stone companies have prospered mightily in recent years in fulfilling the local demand to the extent that, unlike their Spanish neighbours, they have made only half-hearted efforts in the export markets. And still, exports of the material including those to the neighbouring country less than an hour away, amount to an estimated 60% of production. The Portuguese companies have also made huge investments in quarries and factories and Portugal has been, in the last decade, one of the most attractive markets for machinery manufacturers.
The huge increase in production of Rosa Portuguese in recent years has been accompanied by a steady modernisation process, which has ensured that most factories have modern facilities. For all the impressive progress made in recent years one cannot help but feel that the over dependence on the Iberian Peninsula market is surely a major risk for the Rosa Portuguese industry. The law of economic cycles in a market economy means that, given recent economic performance, sooner, rather than later, the two Iberian economies will slow down. How will the businessmen react to lower demand, will they reduce prices and profitability, or will they desperately start looking for new markets? They actually have a good example to follow if they wish to avoid such risk- the highly diversified Crema Marfil industry in Spain, where businessmen often look closely at the map of the planet with a microscope to see if they have a missed a country and a possible market, and promptly catch a plan to the place to investigate.
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Last Updated: July 2008
