It has been 125 years since the founders of CUPA PIZARRAS extracted the first slate from the Solana de Forcadas quarry in Northern Spain. This significant milestone is unrivalled by competitors in the slate industry and reinforces the company’s position in the market.
Still producing the CUPA 3 tile today, the quarry is the oldest in operation worldwide and has set the way for an evolving and continually successful slate trade. With such a long history behind the brand, the reputation of the quarries is confirmed and is further supported by dated declarations of performance and international certificates for every product. Plus, the CUPA PIZARRAS name is protected throughout the production process rather than sold under white labels, which showcases the reliability and quality of the range and cannot be said about other producers.
Slate has been the optimum roofing material in construction projects for hundreds of years, due to its versatility and durability. To demonstrate its confidence in the strength of this material, CUPA PIZARRAS offers a unique traceability guarantee and 100-year warranty.
Demand for slate remains high, which means manufacturers are required to guarantee the quality and provenance of their products. CUPA PIZARRAS produces its slate in its own quarries and warehouses and every tile can be traced back to source by a unique barcode, ensuring 100% traceability that no other slate manufacturer offers. This is extremely valuable for contractors as well as architects, as they can be confident in the product’s quality and supply.
CUPA PIZARRAS also boasts a rich history of quality and innovation. Since its inception in 1892, it has established itself as an expert in slate production, committed to researching and developing new techniques to provide high quality products and services for all its clients. For example, 150,000 tons of slate is imported in the UK per year and in just the past five years, CUPA PIZARRAS has grown its market share from one fifth to one third. This equates to CUPA PIZARRAS being installed on 60 roofs per day in the UK.
Today, slate continues to be the material of choice for roofing and also for use on building facades. Fire resistant and naturally waterproof, there are no artificial chemicals or additives involved in its production, so its sustainable credentials are much sought after by contractors, architects and developers in today’s competitive marketplace.
Julian Gomez, Director of Marketing at CUPA PIZARRAS, commented, “Natural slate can be used for so many applications, and with our focus on research and development we have expanded this potential even further. Today, we offer cladding options with CUPACLAD and CUPACLAD Design as well as Thermoslate, which is a roof solar system that is installed on a slate roof to convert sunlight to energy for central heating, hot water or pool heating.
“Although technology has changed and allowed us to adapt the product to a modern market, the product itself and its production process have not been altered, preserving the history of the material.”