On the last day of Expostone 2015, in spite of his limited time and the crowd of attendances and customers around him, Mr. Zol-Ala, CEO of Alvand Stone Company as the only Iranian participant in the exhibition, devoted some minutes to us, sharing his experiences.

How do you evaluate Iranian stone trade in Russian market?

Russia is a grand country with great markets and diverse opportunities. So far, Iranian stone has not reached its proper status within Russian market.

And what is the reason, you suppose?

The reason is the lack of knowledge about Iranian stone. If branded as Italian, Iranian stone can well be sold right here in this exhibition three times more than its current price. An Italian brand is all they lack. Russians do not know Iranian stones. They worry the stones may include radioactive elements. We have not been successful in making our stones known to the world.

Except for an Iranian counterpart which last year participated at the exhibition, it is now three years that Alvand is the only Iranian participant in the exhibition. During these three years, we managed to make our products known to the global market. Russian great brands of stone, to which communication was not formerly possible even with prior appointments, are now becoming fans of ours and strongly demanding for our products.

Success in Russian market has its own difficulties, including relation-related issues and influence of Mafia networks on this trade; I feel, however, that Alvand has reached where he hoped to do.

Based on your experiences, what stones are probably more successful at Russian market?

We have numerous good stones; marble, granite, and onyx, however, are the ones which are of larger use to Russians.

We know that Russia has rich granite mines, and there are many Russian companies right here selling Russian granite. Chinese granite and granite of other countries are as well present in the exhibition. Now, would you consider it probable that someday Iranian granite be a great name of the field?

Yes, it is possible. As you know, Moscow is one of the most expensive cities of the world, and our final price at Russia is competitive.

Furthermore, due to Iran’s multi-climate conditions, Iranian stones are variously colored, which is unparalleled around the world. Diversity in color is one of the strengths of Iranian stones, making them well distinguished.

And about granite from other countries, yes, you are right. There are other countries, including China, who are active in the field. However, just put stones of ours and china beside each other and see how even in the appearance, Iranian stone shows its high quality when compared with those of China. And recognition of this difference does not need specialized knowledge on stones; every person can tell the difference with a mere look.

And what are your advices to other stone producers who are interested in entering Russian market?

This market can be an especially productive one regarding the two countries being neighbors, good political relations between the two, and Iranian stone capabilities.

We should set principles, the first and most important of which is to make our stones known to Russian market. I, once again, emphasize that due to its high quality and diverse colors, Iranian stone can well be a rival to world’s greatest brands.

Proper advertisement, through participating in such exhibitions, for example, is one of the means to achieving the aforementioned goal.