Almería and Granada, a global showcase for Andalusian natural stone in a strategic trade mission with high-level specifiers from the USA, UK and Poland

 

The Andalusian natural stone industry has strengthened its strategic position in the global market thanks to an intense trade agenda organized by Andalucía TRADE, with the collaboration of the Association of Marble Entrepreneurs of Andalusia (EEAThis action brought together, from November 19 to 21, seven prominent Almerian firms with six opinion makers —mainly architects and decorators— from United States, United Kingdom and Poland.

 

The meeting has generated a total of 42 high-level B2B meetings between the companies and the international delegation, with the primary objective of expand the market y diversify sales of Andalusian companies.

 

Macael Marble, a Protagonist in Granada and Almería

 

The trade mission was designed with a double objective: on the one hand, to present the Andalusian offer of the sector and identify new business opportunities, and on the other hand, offer a vision of the architectural and historical heritage intrinsically linked to the Macael Stone.

 

The agenda began in Granada on November 19th with a presentation of the Macael Brand, followed by the first B2B matches. The highlight of the day was the visit to the Alhambrawhere a specialized guide detailed the historical presence of Macael white marble, with a special mention to Courtyard of the Lions.

 

On November 20 and 21, the activity moved to Almeria, with visits to various quarries and facilities from local companies, adapting to the preferences of foreign buyers.

 

The mission culminates with the international delegation's attendance at the XXXVIII edition of the 'Macael International Awards', the most important event for the promotion of natural stone, which awards ten prizes, four of them to international projects, consolidating global prestige of the industry.

 

Undisputed Leadership in Exports

 

The relevance of this action is based on the export leadership from the natural stone sector of AlmeriaAccording to reports from Andalucía TRADE, the province accounts for the 98 % of Andalusian exports and more than half (56 %) of national billing.

 

In the first nine months of 2025, the sector's exports reached 610 millones de eurosDespite a slight decrease of 3,8% compared to the previous year, Almería still far surpasses the next Spanish provinces: Barcelona (141 million) and Alicante (53 million).

 

The main destination for natural stone from Almería is United States, which represents the 40% of total (245 million), despite a 16,1% decrease. It is followed by United Kingdom (8,3% of the total), with a 10,8% growth up to 62 million, and Canada.

 

Other notable growth markets include Portugal (18,8% increase), France (3,2% increase), Israel (21,7% increase) and Germany, , which registers the greatest advance of the top ten destinations with an improvement of 25 %.

 

The main exported products are cement, concrete and stone manufacturing (57% of sales), followed by the ceramic manufactures, that grow 10,4% up to 243 million euros.

 

The seven participating companies from Almería were: Cuéllar Arquitectura de Mármol, Cosentino Global, Mármoles Gutiérrez Mena, Mármoles Pérez García, Orion Stone Group, Mármoles Luis Sánchez, and MCE–Mármoles de Construcción Estanquero. This initiative is co-financed with EU funds through the ERDF Operational Programme for Andalusia 2021-2027.