The development of the granite processing industry, together with other innovations in polishing, was accompanied by a general change in market trends. Moreover, the specific morpholological and chromatic characteristics of granite determined the aesthetic choices of architects all over the world above all for prestigious works. The acquisition and marketing of these “new” materials, the production of which was concentrated in a limited number of countries throughout the world, required, as still today, a complex international organisation for the selection, storage and transport from the quarries to the ports and from the ports to the various markets.The life of Giorgio Conti and R.E.D. GRANITI is the story of how such an organisation was set up, with all the problems and issues involved. The company was crowned with success as shown by the development of the port in Marina di Carrara which became the most important hub for the handling or raw blocks and led to the creation of a vast network of specialised ports including Bangalore, India, Vitoria, Brazil, Vigo, Spain, Larvik, Norway, Durban, South Africa and Turki, Finland.