By Jennifer Martin

xquisite, dazzling colors. A diamond-like hardness. Quality that endures through the years.
Cambria is becoming one of America’s most popular choices for high-quality countertops, vanities, wet bars and other surfaces, and it’s easy to see why there’s so much appeal in this beautiful stone. Made from pure quartz mined directly from the earth, Cambria is an extremely durable and long-lasting surface that resists stains and is virtually maintenance free. Available in an array of captivating colors, Cambria’s exclusive Quarry Collection has proven the ability to add value to any property and is finding its way into thousands of high-quality residences across the country.
Cambria has the look and feel of granite, but has superior performance because of its strength and composition, explains Brand Manager John Buenneke. “It’s non-porous and won’t absorb liquids like granite or other stone cut from the earth as slabs can,” he said. “You don’t need to seal, polish or recondition it; you just wash it off with warm water. It’s that simple.”

Building on a Family Foundation
The folks behind Cambria, the Davis family of LeSueur, Minnesota, were already highly successful businesspeople when they discovered the potential of the quartz manufacturing process several years ago. The Davises own and operate Davisco Foods International, which produces 330 million pounds of cheese every year and has become Kraft Foods’ largest cheese supplier.
Surprisingly, there are a number of operational and quality assurance principles in cheese processing that have been invaluable to Cambria’s startup manufacturing of its high-quality quartz surfaces, Buenneke says.
“In the cheese business, the margins are fairly thin, so being an efficient operator is the key to success,” he says. “The Davis family has steadily grown Davisco Foods for over 60 years, and they’ve done it very well by creating manufacturing efficiencies and innovative processes that saved costs and produced a better product. You can apply many of those same concepts to other types of manufacturing, including Cambria quartz.”
In fact, the Davises took over the Cambria manufacturing operation from another company that lacked the ability to make it fly. In six years, Cambria has grown tremendously. “Our business has multiplied in size dramatically over the last five years,” Buenneke says. “There’s been a significant growth curve as people have come to understand Cambria’s benefits.”

Beauty and Strength
Quartz is one of the hardest minerals on earth. While granite is comprised of only 40 to 60 percent quartz, Cambria is 93% pure quartz. At their facility in LeSueur, Minn., the Davises use natural quartz of different sizes combined with small amounts of pigment and resin to create “recipes” that are the foundation of Cambria’s unique, lustrous color palette. The slabs are run through a series of compression, vibration, curing and polishing steps to produce the non-porous, extremely hard finished slab. Cambria surfaces will resist stains from fruit juices, food coloring, coffee, tea, wine, nail polish and felt tip markers.
And the material is just as beautiful as granite. The Cambria palette spans an array of options ranging from emerald greens, sapphire blues and garnet-like reds to earthy browns, tans, grays and blacks. Each selection is a conglomeration of quartz pieces with varying shades and colors, providing depth and texture to any surface.
Cambria can be used for bathroom vanities, fireplace surrounds, desktops, wet bars and a wide variety of other surfaces. The non-porous surface prevents food and moisture from penetrating, making kitchen countertops a favorite use. Unlike granite, Cambria has been certified by NSF International for use as a food preparation surface and by GreenGuard as safe (low-emitting) for indoor air standards.
Cambria is a premium product that’s available only at fine dealers and showrooms nationwide. Even though it comes in a number of different edge profiles and colors, its pricing isn’t tiered. “We only have one price across the board,” Buenneke says. “Too often, when consumers go to buy products like these, they find that the items nobody wants are the cheapest, and the price goes up as you start getting into better colors and edge profiles. We price Cambria consistently to keep it simple for customers and homeowners.”
The Davises introduced Cambria in the Chicago market three years ago and it’s now available at more than 100 dealers in the area. It’s already become a popular product in the Windy City, and that doesn’t surprise Buenneke.
“It’s a surface that’s truly everlasting,” he says. “And it adds a great touch of class to a kitchen, bathroom or den.” When design really matters, Cambria is truly the premier choice in countertops.



Cambria
Suite 220
11000 West 78th Street
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
1-866-CAMBRIA
www.cambriausa.com