India, meanwhile, remains a net exporter of natural stone, but much of it is still shipped in raw or semi-finished form

How you started this businesses and what was the motivation behind it?

From a young age, I was curious about how things work, which led me to pursue mechanical engineering in India and explore CAD, racing teams, and design work beyond academics. I completed my degree early and used the time to deepen my hands-on experience and creative pursuits. I later taught myself video game design and worked with companies in Canada and Turkey, gaining global exposure to the potential of Indian talent and resources when combined effectively.

Over time, I realized that India is uniquely positioned—not just because of its talent, but because of its extraordinary natural resources. India has one of the largest varieties of natural stone in the world, with over 500 colors, and is among the very few countries that offer black, green, and white granite at scale. The beauty and diversity of natural stone here are unmatched.

Yet, despite this, Indian stone products often carry a perception gap in international markets. My motivation was to change that—to build products that meet global standards and showcase the true potential of what India can offer. This industry, to me, sits at the intersection of design, engineering, and international business arbitrage.

We started with a small project in Uzbekistan, and today, Petros Stone LLP serves over 50 countries and has scaled to a place I never imagined. It’s a journey driven by curiosity, creation, and a belief that with the right approach, India’s natural resources can truly stand at the forefront globally.

The natural stone market in India is projected to grow at a 7.1% CAGR from 2025 to 2030, with revenue estimated to reach USD 1,061.1 million by 2030, how do you see the opportunity for Petrosstone in this?

The natural stone industry sits in a unique space. As people grow more prosperous, spending shifts toward better design and premium finishes—but at the same time, stone remains a basic necessity across all segments. That balance makes the industry relatively stable.

From where I see it within the industry, a large part of the growing demand still comes from the lower end of the spectrum. However, there is a clear shift beginning—where a small but important segment of customers is becoming less price-sensitive and more focused on quality, design, and overall experience.

For us at Petros Stone LLP, the opportunity lies exactly there. We don’t just want India to be seen as a supplier of basic, run-of-the-mill stone. We want to be specified in high-end, design-driven projects, working with global developers like Emaar—and we’ve already started seeing success in that direction.

As you know, India is a net exporter of granite and processed stone, with major markets in the US, Europe, and Asia. Where do you see challenges and prospects considering these markets?

The US is where innovation is truly rewarded. It is a market where consumption power is at its peak, and customers are willing to pay for better design, precision, and finished products. For us, this creates both the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge—expanding our capabilities. Moving beyond slabs to fully finished countertops, detailed prefabrication, and high-precision outputs is essential. If you can innovate and deliver at that level, the rewards are significant.

India, meanwhile, remains a net exporter of natural stone, but much of it is still shipped in raw or semi-finished form. In essence, we are exporting the resource with limited value addition. The real shift has to come in moving up the value chain—delivering ready-to-install products that meet international standards.

Europe is a large but mature market. Growth is steady, with limited real estate expansion, and success here depends on consistency and reliability rather than rapid innovation.

Asia is where we see strong volume growth. Markets like Vietnam are expanding quickly, though largely driven by lower-cost material today. Our focus is to build access and partnerships while gradually improving quality expectations.

At Petros Stone LLP, our approach is to balance both—drive volume in Asia while building high-end manufacturing capabilities to serve markets like the US and Europe, moving closer to the end of the value chain.

What is you take on government’s key incentives such as PMEGP (15%–35% subsidy for new units) and MSME Champions Schemefor natural stone manufacturing businesses?

These schemes help when you are just starting out, sure. But in natural stone, the real challenge is scaling — meeting global standards, maintaining quality, staying consistent. That takes serious investment and execution. No subsidy covers that.

Long-term, what actually win is capability, quality, and being able to compete internationally. Incentives get you started. The rest is on you.

Is there any recommendation you want to suggest from the policy point of view to the government?

Reduce duties and compliance burden. The capability is there — what is missing is the incentive to go global. Look at autos: India exports only 16% of its car production, while Germany exports 93%, Japan 62%, South Korea 59%. CSEP We build great cars. We just don’t send them out. Meanwhile, China exported nearly 6 million vehicles in 2024 Best-Selling Cars — more than India’s entire passenger vehicle production. Outlook Business That gap isn’t capability. It’s policy and incentive structure.

Push export-oriented thinking. High import duties protect the domestic market but kill the motivation to compete internationally. If you’re comfortable selling at home, why bother with the harder global market?

Take for example for us here at Petros®Stone LLP specifically — a lot of premium natural marble still originates from Italy. We import it, process it, and export the finished product despite higher duties and logistics costs. We make it work. But with better infrastructure and lower compliance burden, the scale of what’s possible changes completely.

The ask is simple: improve port and road infrastructure, reduce import duties on raw materials that feed exports, and cut the paperwork. Don’t just protect Indian industry — help it compete.

What are the most unparallel and key offerings from Petros stone and what makes them unique among the competitors?

Accessibility has been a key focus for us. Over time, we’ve built strong global reach across 50+ countries through a network of distributors, partners, and on-ground relationships. For us, accessibility is not just about presence—it’s about being responsive, reliable, and able to serve different market needs efficiently.

Our product portfolio is core strength. India offers immense variety in natural stone, and we’ve worked across granites, marbles, and quartzites in a wide range of colors and applications. This allows us to cater to both high-volume requirements and more design-driven, specialized projects with equal confidence.

The third pillar is our capability to meet international quality standards. From precision manufacturing to consistency in finish and moving toward fully finished, ready-to-install products, our focus has been on aligning with global expectations. This combination of access, portfolio, and quality is what defines how we operate.

Can you highlight the biggest milestone so far and what were the challenges you faced while achieving it?

The biggest milestone for us was breaking into ultra-luxury projects — private island resorts, high-end architectural commissions. At that level, nobody asks where the stone is from. It either meets the standard or it doesn’t. And we met it. That was validation that Indian natural stone is genuinely world-class — it’s just been sold short for too long.

Another one I am proud of — we were commissioned to produce Greek statues for clients in Greece. The irony isn’t lost on me. But that’s exactly the point. Indian manufacturing capability is at par with Europe. We just haven’t been given that credit.

We also competed against some of the largest stone companies in the world for a major project. We didn’t win. But for us, getting to that table was the real milestone.

The hardest challenge wasn’t technical. Quality can be measured — tolerances, finish, consistency. Those are solvable. The real challenge was the mindset shift. Convincing someone that Indian stone isn’t just a budget option — that’s a much longer battle. Metrics can change a spec sheet. They can’t easily change a perception that’s been built over decades.

That is the work we’re still doing. And slowly, project by project, it is changing.

Can you share your view on technology which is used in cutting and designing natural stones if any?

Honestly, the basics aren’t complicated. You get a block, slice it like bread, polish it till it shines, and cut it to size. That’s been the same for a long time.

Where it gets genuinely interesting is quartzite treatment. Quartzite is one of the most beautiful stones out there but also one of the weaker ones. Years ago, if you hit a block that wasn’t solid enough, you’d just discard it — the moment you sliced it, it would crumble.

Then came resin impregnation. You essentially drown the slab in special resins, heat it, cure it, and suddenly that fragile stone becomes workable. Strong enough to cut, finish, and install. That one technology unlocked an entirely new category of products. Stones that were previously unusable became some of the most sought-after luxury materials in the world.

It also changed how you think about stone design — which direction to cut, how to orient the veining, how to make the most of what nature gave you.

As an entrepreneur, where do you see natural stone market in the coming 10 years and what thoughts you want to share with budding entrepreneurs?

Going forward, I’m genuinely excited about where AI fits into manufacturing—especially in areas like quality control, precision, and waste reduction. This is where I believe the next real leap will come from in industries like natural stone.

Today, a lot of processes still depend on manual inspection and operator skill. With AI, we can move toward more consistent, data-driven systems—whether it’s detecting micro-defects, optimizing cutting patterns, or ensuring uniform finishes across batches. Even small improvements here can significantly reduce material wastage and improve overall efficiency.

More importantly, AI allows us to scale quality. Instead of relying only on experience, you can standardize outcomes across larger volumes, which is critical when serving global markets with strict expectations.

For an industry like ours, where the raw material is natural and inherently variable, bringing in that layer of precision and predictability can be a real differentiator. It’s not just about automation—it is about building smarter manufacturing systems that elevate both quality and consistency.