Stone Tile International: «Proud to promote such innovative, progressive, and action-taking companies»

(May 2025) | First founded in 1991 by Sylvia Benchimol and Carl Hesse, Stone Tile International has grown into one of Canada’s leading distributors of top-of-the-line surface materials and a recognized authority on tile and stone trends. Today, with showrooms in four major cities, the company continues to thrive under second-generation leadership, backed by a dedicated team of over 165 employees. Stone Tile International is committed to nurturing trusted relationships and proudly sources from numerous Italian manufacturers, with ceramic tiles accounting for 65% of its total sales in 2024. With this in mind, we are pleased to celebrate Stone Tile International as the Confindustria Ceramica 2025 North American Distributor Award recipient for their outstanding accomplishments and valuable contributions to the industry. To commemorate this achievement, we spoke with Sylvia Benchimol, Chief Executive Officer (pictured with Daniel Sultan, President of Stone International).

Stone Tile International is the recipient of this year’s Confindustria Ceramica North American Distributor Award. What do you believe has been the key to your company’s success, particularly when it comes to cultivating relationships and sourcing from Italian brands?

The relationships between Stone Tile and our suppliers and agents are essential. Truth be told, we connect to everything Italian: art, architecture, design, fashion, and tiles. We want to ensure that, as we are promoting a product, we know it was sourced from a quality factory and company with good values. We appreciate their reliability and partnership. Furthermore, we love partnering with factories that are willing to push the boundaries of design – this has been key for us. Our Italian suppliers have been consistent in their loyalty and support over the 30+ years we have been in business.

What are your company’s founding principles?

Since its founding, Stone Tile has always strived to be different. Today, it is about pushing the limits of the surfaces industry by bringing our clients inspiration, quality, and unique solutions. This is always done with unparalleled customer experience, with people at our core. We are driven by genuine creativity, unlimited possibility, and an inherent desire to give our customers a transformational experience. This was how we envisioned it when it started and how it has been maintained and enforced over the years, hence our affinity to our Italian suppliers.

What type of tile products does your company carry (i.e. flooring, wallcoverings, countertops, custom furnishings, etc.)? Which is most in demand?

Stone Tile offers floor and wall coverings as well as slabs. Our product ranges from porcelain and ceramic tiles, mosaics, natural stone tiles and slabs, vinyl, wood, quartz slabs, and porcelain slabs. The idea is to offer all the floor and wall solutions for any project. Porcelain is a very performant product and has endless applications. It was always popular and remains so today. These last few years, we have seen an influx in popularity for large-format porcelain slabs in particular.

What quality standards or certifications do you prioritize when sourcing new products? Is sustainability a factor?

Sustainability has become a very important topic these last few years, and these last few months specifically. We are seeing a big shift in the industry towards an awakening and urgency to be more mindful of what we are sourcing and the impacts our choices have on the environment. We have been sourcing products with different environmentally friendly certifications for years now, however, there is still a way to go. We currently source from the only two B-Corp Certified manufacturers of tiles – who are both Italian – and we are proud to promote such innovative, progressive, and action-taking companies.

Who are your main clients, and what types of projects do they work on?

We work on projects within three markets: commercial, retail, and e-commerce. Our commercial clients are architects, designers, developers, contractors, and fabricators. With these professionals, we work on major projects that can range from institutional and condominiums to transit projects, hospitality, and more. Our retail market represents residential and smaller commercial projects of all sizes with various budgets. E-commerce falls under the category of retail, but is a new market for us. We are one of the very few Canadian flooring and wall covering distributors with an e-commerce platform.

What trends dominate in 2025? Are there specific trends in commercial versus residential tile demand?

In the residential sphere, we’re noticing trends of burgundy, browns, and deep greens. We are being asked for these colours not only in natural stone looks but decorative wall tile as well. It seems the “colour drenching trend” has hit with a vengeance, and we think these deeper colour tones will be important for 2025 as mirrored in fashion. We consider ourselves a fashion house of the flooring industry, and we are constantly inspired by the fashion world.

Commercially, we still see a lot of requests for the classic stone looks of varying types, like travertine, ceppo, and slate. Concrete is also very sought after. These styles are popular in many formats, but the large and extra-large porcelain slabs have been very successful and continue to gain momentum across Canada. The large slabs coming out of Italy are unparalleled in design and quality. What’s also interesting is how we see a move toward a bolder look for condos. The minimalist grey and white are phasing out, and the warm beiges are coming back. In following this newfound desire to be more audacious, we also see the demand for structured wall tiles with a more architectural design.

How does Italian tile perform in the Canadian market? How can Italian companies raise their approval level within the Canadian distribution system?

Italian products have earned their reputation as the standard in design and innovation – and everyone knows it. To continue their success in the Canadian market, Italian manufacturers need to continue to curate unique products that inspire the professionals who use them. This requires a migration away from the standard inkjet and a return to tile production roots, creating distinct and unique products that are difficult to replicate. Another area where they can continue to progress is in the research and development of technologies to make products more sustainable by creating products with virtually zero impact on the environment.

What are some of the biggest challenges facing Canadian tile distributors today?

Transportation costs out of Italy have been a challenge to budgets. We have experienced similar issues with other countries, but unfortunately, the cost increases have been more sustained with Italy. Port congestion has been a major challenge for tile distributors by causing unforeseen delays. These two issues combined have made the biggest impact these last few years. Labour shortages have also proven to be another challenge faced in recent years, a casualty that trickled over post-COVID.

Lastly, today more than ever before, we deal with instantaneous competition from other distributors who have easy access to similar collections. The speed of replication in the industry has made counter specifications on projects very difficult. The invention of new technologies will assist with this issue.

Looking ahead, what do you see as the next major shift in the tile industry over the next year?

The next major shift we anticipate in the tile industry over the next year is sustainability. This seems to be the buzzword of the last year and continuing into 2025. Younger architects and designers are mobilizing to implement newer methods of specification, including fewer physical samples in the material libraries and a migration to virtual alternatives. The quality of images and virtual samples is what the next generation wants and will use to specify projects. The industry needs to shift, or else they might miss the boat.

After attending Coverings 2025 in Orlando, Florida, what key takeaways or innovations did you observe that you believe will impact the Canadian tile market?

Italy is known to be the capital for creative innovation in tile production. Today, manufacturers are using AI to optimize every aspect of the production cycle—reducing water consumption, minimizing material waste, and lowering energy usage. These efficiency gains are documented through AI-powered analytics and life-cycle assessment tools, allowing Canadian distributors to bring a powerful sustainability narrative to their customers. With transparent environmental data available at the point of sale, Canadian retailers can appeal to eco-conscious buyers who prioritize low-impact products.

Some Italian brands distributed by Stone Tile International:

Ascot, Casalgrande Padana, CESI, Caesar, COEM, Emilceramica, Ergon, Italgraniti, Laminam, Marazzi, Provenza, Refin, Terratinta.