A Passion and Vision Give Birth to a Brand

Ten Years Later, Granite Gold® Brand Granite Cleaners and Other Stone-Care Products Available Throughout the U.S. and Internationally

Chicago (March 2, 2013) — International Home and Housewares Show; Booth N6450 — It all started with questions Lenny Sciarrino and Lenny Pellegrino could not answer comfortably.

“What granite cleaner should I use?” the two Lennys were often asked by customers when Sciarrino was leading operations at the family business, European Wholesale Countertops, and Pellegrino was running his stone restoration business – Pellegrino Stonecare.

“There really wasn’t anything in the market we could recommend with confidence.  Common household cleaners will damage natural stone, and anything marketed specifically for use on stone either left streaks and fingerprints or wasn’t readily available for our customers to easily purchase,” said Sciarrino, co-founder and president/CEO of Granite Gold Inc. “Mild dish soap and water was all we’d recommend, and it still wasn’t the best answer.”

With the answer in hand for granite and all other natural stone, the cousins were filling bottles and handwriting “Cleaner” or “Polish” on them, giving them away after finishing restoration and installation projects. That soon led customers returning, asking for more of the magic formula. Granite Gold Inc. was formed in 2003, and in 2004 the Lennys set out to bring Granite Gold brand granite cleaners and stone-care products to a mass consumer audience.

“We had an answer to their questions, one we were totally confident would protect the stone surfaces our customers pay a hefty price to install and restore,” said Pellegrino, Granite Gold Inc. co-founder, who still runs the restoration company and is on job sites daily.”

With a small start and local distribution in the San Diego area and conducting numerous how-to demonstrations at regional home and garden shows and in Costco club stores, Granite Gold Inc. led a national consumer awareness campaign on the dangers common household cleaners pose to natural stone surfaces.  That catapulted word of mouth and burgeoning online sales in Granite Gold’s early days, and today Granite Gold brand granite cleaners and other stone-care products are available in grocery, hardware, mass merchant and specialty store channels throughout the U.S. and internationally.

“It really started out as just an idea to create a product to help customers of our installation and restoration businesses.  Little did we know back then we were building a widely recognized brand known for great stone-care products and educating customers on proper stone care,” said Sciarrino.  “Ten years later, we’ve more than doubled our product line-up, expanded distribution along multiple channels in every U.S. state and have grown to include international distribution.

“Customers recognize Granite Gold as the experts in stone care, from the performance of our products to our Ask the Experts customer service program, where we provide professional advice and answer questions on all-things stone.”

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Key Dates in Granite Gold History

2003

• Lenny Pellegrino forms Granite Gold Inc.

2004

• Lenny Sciarrino and Lenny Pellegrino partner to bring Granite Gold brand stone-care products to a mass consumer audience
• Granite Gold Inc. revises product packaging for national brand launch
• Product sampling program initiated with Southern California home builders
• Sciarrino hits the road, conducting how-to demonstrations in regional home and garden shows and Costco club stores
• Costco adds Granite Gold brand stone-care products on rotation in Western U.S. stores
• Granite Gold Inc. adds distribution with Raley’s, Bel Air and Nob Hill grocery stores

2005

• Granite Gold Inc. launches ecommerce sales strategy
• Granite Gold Inc. introduces Granite Gold brand to national media, initiating consumer outreach campaign on the dangers common household cleaners pose to natural stone surfaces; formally launches core products:
  • Granite Gold Daily Cleaner®
  • Granite Gold Polish®
  • Granite Gold Sealer®
  • Granite Gold Daily Wipes®
  • Granite Gold Stone & Tile Floor Cleaner®
  • Granite Gold Inc. establishes new stone-care category in U.S. grocery channel, making products more readily accessible to consumers
  • Granite Gold brand stone-care products available in Albertsons, SuperValu, Fred Meyer and Smart & Final grocery stores, and Unified Western Grocers
  • Granite Gold Inc. hires Scott Martin, formerly senior vice president at WD-40 Co.

2006

• Distribution expands to Orchard Hardware Supply and True Value hardware stores, and Ralph’s and Bristol Farms grocery stores
• Banner year for Granite Gold Inc., doubling business growth at year end

2007

• Bed Bath & Beyond offers Granite Gold brand stone-care products throughout the U.S.
• Quality Food Centers adds Granite Gold brand stone-care products
• Costco expands distribution of Granite Gold to U.K. club stores

2008

• Distribution doubles to more than 4,000 locations over much of the West, Southwest and Midwestern U.S. in just two years
• Additional grocery stores include Hannaford, Sweetbay and H.E.B

2009

• Bed Bath & Beyond begins expanding distribution of Granite Gold to Mexico City stores
• Winn-Dixie and Associated Wholesale Grocers add Granite Gold to its grocery store shelves
• Delhaize adds Granite Gold to Giant of Carlisle grocery stores

2010

• Bed Bath & Beyond expands Granite Gold distribution with addition of Canada stores
• Granite Gold Inc. experiences another banner year in business growth

2011

• Granite Gold Inc. expands product line
  • Granite Gold Outdoor Stone Cleaner®
  • Granite Gold Shower Cleaner®
  • Granite Gold Grout Cleaner ®
  • Granite Gold Daily Cleaner Refill®
  • Granite Gold Inc. expands distribution
    • Basha’s
    • Harris Teeter

2012

• Bed Bath & Beyond introduces the exclusive Granite Gold Home Care Collection®
• National distribution of Granite Gold brand stone-care products surpasses 10,000 stores
  • Ace Hardware
  • Kroger and SuperValu national expansion
  • Target
  • The Home Depot
  • Delhaize/Ahold expansion (Giant of Landover and Stop & Shop)
  • Granite Gold Inc. launches EPA-approved Granite Gold Disinfecting Wipes®
  • Granite Gold Inc. closes 2012 with another record year in business growth

2013

• Granite Gold Inc. celebrates 10^th anniversary