Our team
Managing factory and engineering process
My granite business began in 2010, when a construction boom began in Ukraine and I supplied natural split paving stones to projects. Sales were going well, so I soon bought myself the first machine that split paving stones. The construction of my factory began with one machine. I was not limited to the Ukrainian market, I found buyers in Poland and the Baltic countries. The similarity of mentality, as well as a short distance for delivery, helped me build good business relationships for my business.
When I established the supply of granite, I began to think more and more about the quality of production.
Almost all factories in Ukraine still operate on the basis of old Soviet workshops, I decided that it is necessary to improve production, working conditions, adopting European experience in this matter and thereby preparing in advance for the entry of our granite products to new markets. Therefore, since 2017, I have been building a new plant in the Zhytomyr region of the European standard and my own infrastructure of a closed cycle around it.
2019 was the year when I opened up to the new, it all started with the fact that I began to fulfill my childhood dream – I went to acting and director courses, it helped me to look at the world from a different angle. At this time, Denis and Mariia offered me a new business formula. It was all that I constantly thought about.
I have always wanted more and the people I work with and those around me have been especially important to me.
I think it all starts with people. There are people – there is a project, no people – no project.
We have been together for more than 4 years, but I understand that this is only the beginning.
Co-Owner, CCO
Comercial, Financial, Marketing, Cost estimate
Before founding our company with Denis and Andrii, I worked as a building materials supply manager for commercial and private projects in Kyiv. Among the building materials were granite products. 80% of what I ordered for clients for objects were building materials, the materials of which were from European countries, for example, windows, furniture, doors, and fittings completely made in Europe. But only granite products, such as paving stones, cubes, tiles, slabs, curbs, and countertops, were completely mined and made in Ukraine. I knew this from childhood because I was born in the Zhytomyr region, where almost all granite quarries in Ukraine are located. I always thought that Ukrainian granite has a huge potential in the world market, but for this, you need to make a lot of efforts to attract the attention of buyers to our stone and make it competitive along with natural stones from other countries already known for centuries.
It all started in 2019 from the day I met Denis. From that day on, we never parted again. Common views on life and values made us a family.
Denis, before we met, worked in a completely different field, where he successfully made his career, but left all his successes behind, for the sake of our common future. After a while, I can say that his legal knowledge helps us even now, because not every company has a director who is brilliant in law, theory, and his own practice.
In the meantime, when Denis and I were separately building a career, our partner Andrii was building a factory for the production of granite products and building his sales network with countries bordering Ukraine. It was Andrii at the beginning of our journey with Denis who became our mentor, from whom we adopted all the subtleties of the natural stone business.
A few years later, together we have a good team that is constantly evolving and complementing each other. We have opened new markets for our stone and will continue to develop new horizons because this is our goal, dream, and lifestyle!
Denys Grifonov
Co-Owner, COO
Projects, Supplies/Sales, Export, Company Development
My story of coming to the Stone business is unexpected. I had never thought about this kind of business. I was born and lived in the south of Ukraine in the city-port Odesa. So I even didn’t know that granite exists in Ukraine.
When I met Mariia in 2019 year, we fall in love, married, and make our family. So also we decided to make business together. Because we can’t be without each other for a long time. We wanted to make a stable business, a business that has gone across all history with humans and till now help a lot.
Because Mariia worked in the construction company and was born in the Zhytomyr region, where a lot of granite quarries, so she told me about granite. “Hmm… It’s a great idea, Mari. Granite is a unique and strong stone” – I said.
We met our close friend, who has already run the construction and stone business, and offered him, using our skills and advantages, to become partners. So from the 2019 year we working with Andrii together.
So we decided to make our own company of two families based on the true values.
In my childhood, one of my true dreams was to travel a lot around the world, to meet a new people, to speak a different languages, to feel a different cultures, and to understand a different mindsets – to become the human of the planet Earth. Now the dreams step by step become true.
Grifonov’s and Pavliuk Stones it’s the company of open-minded people, which are playing on the “nature field”. And natural stone plays together in our team.