By: Nancy Esteves
Location: Golden Beach
Photos: Enrique Tubio
Interstones, a dynamic team with a clear and revolutionary vision, brings to Miami natural stones from its mines in Brazil and Italy directly to your home.
In an exclusive interview with Hola Latinos Magazine, Interstones owner and CEO Jimmy Khalifeh, owner of several quarries in Brazil and Italy, discusses the exciting world of natural stones.
Khalifeh, a seasoned Wealth Manager and Developer of major real estate projects with a great passion for natural stones, could change the stone industry forever. Located just 10 minutes from Bal Harbor Shops, one of the top luxury shopping centers in the world, Interstones has a warehouse in Miami in collaboration with his partner, Hernán Levy, an Argentine architect and contractor with more than 25 years of experience in the industry.
The company offers a wide selection of the most sought-after and exotic stones in the world at competitive prices compared to other suppliers. They have also expanded their surfacing products to include iStone. This sintered quartz is like natural stone and is formed from a mixture of natural minerals processed in large furnaces to a rugged, compact structure by 100%.
What sets them apart is that Interstones actually manufactures the final products in Brazil and Italy using their own materials and then export to the United States. They fabricate kitchens and bathrooms cabinets made from Ipe or Cumaru wood, one of the top woods in the world, and then use natural stones or iStone for their surfaces. The custom-built product allows customers to avoid manufacturing costs and only pay for installation. This design and production concept has worked quite well, especially for developers and contractors. Some of their finished products include kitchen cabinets and closets, bathroom vanities, dining, accent tables, and interior doors.
Your best Tip:
“Always try to buy direct from the producer… The producer will always have better prices.”
Q & A with Jimmy Khalife
What is iStone?
iStone is a unique and sophisticated material that redefines elegance in natural surfaces. An almost zero porosity index makes it resistant to high temperatures, blows, scratches, and abrasions. In addition, it’s easy to clean and does not burn when in contact with fire or emit smoke. With exceptional resistance to UV rays, this high-performance material is perfect for use indoors, such as in kitchens, bathrooms, cladding, fireplaces, floors, walls, swimming pools, shops, hotels, and any environment that requires the finest in terms of quality and design.
It’s a 100% natural material from Interstones quarries in Brazil and Italy and is available in sheets from four to ten millimeters thick and measuring 4 feet by nearly 9 feet. This material represents an actual work of art from nature. Along with the unrivaled quality of its natural stones, Interstones has expanded its range of surfacing products with iStone. This sintered quartz offers the same beauty and durability as natural stone. To obtain a rigid and compact structure, the stone sintering process involves subjecting a mixture of natural minerals to high temperatures in large furnaces.
How were your beginnings?
I come from a family of developers and constructors, so building has always been a part of my life. Upon arriving in the United States, I began developing shopping centers and warehouses in Homestead, which gave me invaluable experience in construction and real estate development. I learned that for a consumer, purchasing products directly from the producer is always better in order to obtain high-quality products at the best price.
Would you say that the best stones come from Brazil?
Yes. Brazil and Italy are countries with par excellence in the natural stone industry, known for their exceptional quality and a great variety of options. You can also find exotic stones of high quality and more affordable prices in other places such as Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan. Brazil’s advanced technology in the extraction and processing of natural stones allows them to stand out in the market as one of the world’s leading producers of quality stones.
How do you identify the locations of these stones?
It results from a combination of intuition, geology, and experience accumulated over the years. When looking for places to excavate, we consider the region and rely on our intuition, as well as the expertise of our geologists, who conduct tests to identify minerals several meters deep before mining the block.
Do you often discover precious stones during excavation?
Sometimes we discover real gems along the way. The thrill of finding gold, rubies, diamonds, tourmalines, and other valuable minerals is indescribable. Our Miami warehouse offers various natural stones where we can sometimes identify gold nuggets and other minerals that have formed over many years. It’s simply fascinating to admire the natural beauty of the Earth.
Where are the mines in Brazil?
Interstones mines are centered in Espirito Santo and the Northeast of the country. However, access to these areas can be difficult, which explains why so many intermediaries exist in the supply chain until the product reaches the final consumer. To acquire stones, we use different strategies. First, we have our mines, which allow us to have exclusive and high-quality production. In addition, we establish collaboration and negotiation agreements with other companies worldwide to expand our offer and provide our clients with a variety of exceptional options.
Is there a lot of demand for your stone production?
Demand varies according to market trends and the needs of each client. Our goal is to offer high-quality materials at the best price. Additionally, post-pandemic, we have noticed an increased value for natural products and the importance of creating homes that balance nature and architecture, increasing demand for our products.
Our company produces the final product on demand in our factory, which allows us to keep a close eye on quality and ensure that our customers receive tailor-made products that perfectly fit their needs and expectations. We also have a strong logistics distribution network throughout the United States, with direct deliveries from our factory to the buyer’s location, ensuring fast and safe delivery of our products to our customers anywhere in the country.
What is your favorite stone of all?
I have two favorite stones: the White Pearl and the Macaubas Blue, both exceptionally beautiful quartzites. They are true works of nature that reflect perfection and elegance in shape, color, and texture. They are expensive stones, but their rarity and beauty justify their value. Some of these exotic stones are unsuitable for all homes and construction projects. Their use must be carefully evaluated based on each client’s needs and preferences.
How do you handle customer requests for specific stones?
The client can select the desired stone directly from our quarry through photographs and videos. If it’s a large project, we coordinate with the architect or designer to choose the material in person from the mine, and then we send it to the final destination. The turnaround time is around 35 days.
How much savings can a customer receive by buying directly with Interstones?
Because Interstones are producers, we can offer clients a discount between 40% and 60% less than the competition. We want to provide the best quality at the best price for the final consumer, eliminating unnecessary intermediaries.
Does the shipping of the material have any additional cost?
At Interstones, we cover all shipping costs, allowing our customers to shop directly from our headquarters in Miami. Our ability to sell custom products has allowed us to expand to other materials, such as wood, following the same concept we apply to stones. In the same way, we bring materials or finished products directly to the consumer, eliminating intermediaries and providing a more efficient and affordable experience. Interstone is now creating a distribution network throughout the United States from the production site, cutting the need for a single hub.
How do you think Interstones is transforming the industry?
By eliminating intermediaries, Interstones can offer better prices in a traditionally heavily intermediary market, which is changing how customers access high-quality materials and products.
How do you see the future of Interstones in the next five years?
We aim to continue growing and expanding our showrooms to other vital centers in the United States. We believe that it is essential that the client can see and select the materials first-hand, in addition to understanding that buying directly from the producer can obtain better prices.
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