“Throughout our partnership with CHENHOW, we firmly believe that these precious stones from Brazil are receiving the finest presentation and achieving their true, utmost value in Taiwan!”
Igor Machado, 3rd-Generation Mine Owner of Alpinus
Building a successful enterprise relies not only on luck, but also on the visionary courage and steadfast patience of its leaders. As one of Brazil's top ten natural stone companies, Magban—founded in 1986—has used its acute and precise vision to unveil "Alpinus," a legendary luxury stone that stands alongside "Amazzonite" as Brazil's two defining stone masterpieces. Recently, the third-generation owner of Magban visited CHENHOW MARBLE, their exclusive Taiwanese partner, revealing for the first time the story of their founding journey and the profound reasons behind their strategic alliance with CHENHOW.
Image / Igor Machado with Mr. Po-Kuen Chen, Founder of CHENHOW MARBLE, at the CHENHOW MARBLE Taipei Showroom.
"Birds of a feather flock together—a classic standard of companionship derived from Confucian philosophy that applies universally to modern business strategy. Only with shared values can partners travel the same road and stand shoulder to shoulder. 'Choosing partners who share our core convictions is the only way to elevate the intrinsic value of natural stone!' As the third-generation Business Manager of Magban—a top-ten Brazilian stone enterprise—mine owner Igor Machado made a special point to include CHENHOW MARBLE’s Taipei Flagship Gallery in his recent Asian tour. Experiencing firsthand how CHENHOW showcases luxury stone with the dignity reserved for fine art, Igor remarked: 'This reinforces our conviction that placing the stone we laboriously extract into CHENHOW's hands ensures it receives the absolute finest presentation.'"
A successful mine owner must possess not only the visionary eye to discover luxury stone, but also the insightful discernment to recognize the right partners.
CHENHOW and Magban have partnered for over eight years—a period that coincides directly with Magban's critical transition toward optimizing production technologies, drastically reducing processing lead times, and launching innovative operational strategies. Founded in 1986 by father-and-son duo Josenildo Moreira Machado and Tales Pena Machado in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Espírito Santo—along the southeastern Atlantic coast of Brazil—Magban initially operated as a processing plant cutting blocks for third-party stone companies. The following year, the company acquired its first machinery while actively scouting quarry sites to prepare for raw block extraction. Over time, Magban evolved from a processing unit into a distinguished quarry owner possessing its own exclusive mines.
"In the beginning, our extraction techniques were rudimentary, making it difficult to predict whether the venture would succeed. Yet my grandfather insisted that once we started, we must never give up." Igor's grandfather, Josenildo Moreira Machado, originally served in the banking industry and embarked on his second career in the natural stone domain at age fifty. Just as French Impressionist Paul Gauguin left his career as a stockbroker to enrich the vibrant canvas of Post-Impressionism, Josenildo leveraged his business acumen cultivated in finance. Even when early partners departed out of skepticism, his sharp intuition foretold the undiscovered grandeur of the luxury stone that had yet to be revealed to the world: "Alpinus."
Image / Igor Machado shares the company's journey in an exclusive interview.
Much like CHENHOW, Magban is a family enterprise founded and guarded across three generations, actively cultivating top talent while seizing market opportunities. In the company's early days, Igor's grandfather brought his twenty-something-year-old son—who studied engineering—directly into hands-on operations, while sending Igor's uncle to the United States to master business administration. By the time his uncle joined the family business in Brazil in 1993, he was a fluent English-speaking business executive; that very same year, Magban initiated stone exports to Japan, establishing its first strategic foothold in the Asian market.
Today, Magban boasts one of the largest quarry operations in South America. However, over the past decade or so, they also traversed a major technical transition from traditional gang saws to multi-wire saws. "Before modern cutting technology matured, my grandfather lost many raw blocks due to cracking caused by traditional cutting methods. It wasn't until around 2010, with the advent of the wire-saw era, that we could smoothly precision-slice ultra-hard granite into flawless, flat slabs—drastically boosting our success rate and production output." From the company's founding to the mastering of cutting techniques, it required nearly a quarter-century of patient perseverance. Yet, true to the proverb "great birds roost late before taking flight," the founder's visionary courage and steadfast patience paved the way for Magban's accelerated expansion—even transcending pandemic challenges to achieve surging growth since 2019.
Image / Igor with the Alpinus luxury stone slab.Designated by international superstars, coveted by Asia's elite collectors.
Magban's natural stone has been exported to over 64 countries, elevating the company from a top-ten supplier to one of Brazil's top five quarry owners. International exports account for 80% of its revenue, with the remaining 20% serving the domestic market. Over the past decade, the business has grown fivefold—with sales surging by 60% in 2021 alone, completely unhindered by pandemic lockdowns.
Igor also revealed: "The global market dynamics have shifted dramatically over the past decade. North America was once our largest export destination, but that changed when we discovered 'Alpinus'—a luxury stone composed of precious minerals and semi-precious gems including quartz, muscovite, and biotite. Its translucent, light-refracting crystals have resonated deeply with Asian homeowners, who have now become Magban's primary luxury stone collectors." Today, 70% of Magban's slabs are exported to Asia, with the remaining 30% supplied to Europe and the Americas. Renowned for its exceptional hardness, Alpinus seamlessly merges Western marble aesthetic refinements—pure, luminous elegance—with captivating, luxurious crystal formations. Whether applied in commercial interiors, residential space dividers, feature walls, or crafted into dining tables and countertops, it presents an undeniably majestic presence. Notably, iconic Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen selected expansive slabs of Alpinus for her personal kitchen residence.
Speaking on the discovery and excavation of Alpinus, Igor shared an amusing backstory: "From the perspective of our primary Western markets, pure white marble surfaces defined the gold standard of aesthetic taste. When we first noticed the dark crystal inclusions within these granite formations, we initially considered them defects! We even went to great lengths to avoid quarrying stone containing black quartz." That was until one day, as a worker was slicing through a slab in the processing plant, a ray of light caught these translucent crystals—leaving everyone awestruck by their mesmerizing brilliance. As time proved, these rare mineral formations infuse an extraordinary sense of majestic luxury into timeless elegance.
"Western clients prefer clean, pristine stone surfaces, particularly for kitchen countertops. Conversely, Asian clientele are captivated by this light-transmitting crystalline depth." Igor noted that among all extracted Alpinus stone, 60% features a pure, cream-like flowing pattern, while 30% contains multi-colored crystal formations. The precious black quartz accounts for a mere 10%: "Interwoven black quartz is exceptionally rare. On fortunate occasions, tourmaline and aquamarine crystals also emerge within the matrix—making each piece a true miracle of nature."
Last year, Kyle Chen, Chief Brand Officer of CHENHOW MARBLE, endured a journey of over thirty hours to visit Magban's quarry and company headquarters. It was his first post-pandemic, on-the-ground exploration, which happily coincided with the local Brazilian Carnival. The experience left him in awe: "Every time I visit Brazil, I fall deeper in love with the passion and warmth of its people." Indeed, luxury stones nurtured by the Brazilian landscape possess an undeniable allure unmatched by any other region. For instance, Canadian rap icon Drake selected "Avocatus" to adorn the feature walls of his residence. Carrying the mystic essence of the Brazilian rainforest, this luxury stone perfectly embodies how Igor describes the native stones of Brazil: "They evoke the passionate, optimistic spirit of the Brazilian people while bringing a sense of calm and relaxation. And when illuminated, the rich crystal formations evoke a profound sense of nature's awe-inspiring power."
Image / International superstar Drake at his Toronto home; the TV feature wall in the background (far left) is also crafted from Magban's "Avocatus" luxury stone."Treating natural stone with the utmost dignity!" — This is the key reason the mine owner chose CHENHOW MARBLE.
Igor's visit to Taiwan further solidified Magban's steadfast partnership with CHENHOW. "Having collaborated for over eight years, we recognized the extraordinary potential of this company right from the start. More importantly, we discovered that since its inception, CHENHOW has always treated natural stone in the right way." As a fellow family-owned enterprise, Igor believes this shared heritage fosters a deep mutual understanding—paving the way for shared growth and long-term, fruitful collaboration. "Observing Chairman Po-Kuen Chen's vision for elevating natural stone and seeing him turn that vision into reality step by step, his operational courage and leadership have been truly inspiring to us."
"Enduring trust built over years of partnership relies on a foundation of deep understanding and continuous exchange! 'We need direct engagement to truly know who we work with. These natural stones are not infinite—they are precious resources. Our partners must recognize their true worth so these rare and unique materials land in the right hands.' This conviction was the driving reason why Magban decided to cease raw block exports a decade ago. 'Because these stones grow scarcer with each passing year, selling unprocessed blocks risks losing control over their destination. Through sound commercial strategies and exceptional partners, we maintain full visibility over where our stone goes—thereby protecting these resources while minimizing impact on the natural environment.'"
Igor and his uncle proactively visit their exclusive global distributors to gain a firsthand understanding of market dynamics: "Who are the collectors acquiring these pieces? How are distributors presenting them? We genuinely want every piece of stone to be used with the utmost respect." Engaging directly on the ground remains the most effective way to safeguard these natural treasures. "Throughout our partnership with CHENHOW, we firmly believe that these precious stones from Brazil are receiving the finest presentation and achieving their true, utmost value in Taiwan!"
