Cambrian Collection

Earlier this spring, our associate publisher, Kim Barton, flew down to Minneapolis, Minn., to dig into the history of the family owned quartz manufacturing company, Cambria. (Fun fact: Cambria is owned by members of the Davis family of Minnesota. Patriarch Stanley Davis founded what would become cheese-manufacturing company Davisco Foods International during World War II. Davisco is now part of the Quebec-based Agropur Dairy Cooperative.)

Cambria’s quartz is mined in Northern Ontario and Quebec. All the, scratch- and stain-resistant slabs are produced in Minnesota, before final fabrication for the Canadian market at the company’s Bolton, Ont., facility. Since its launch in 2000, Cambria has yet to retire a pattern, making matching a retrofit project possible years down the road.

1) The Lynhall: The crew toured various businesses that use Cambrian products in their design, including a breakfast stop at The Lynhall, a “market-inspired” restaurant and event space.

2) CU Parallel: Parallel is, gulp, an unparalleled coffee shop in the city’s North Loop and Glenwood Corridor.

3) P.S. Steak: P.S. Steak features a lounge and dining room in a revamped space.

4) HQ: Cambria’s head office and production facility in Le Sueur, Minn.

5) Ride on: The production facility is so large that employees use bicycles to get around.

6) Hammer time: Finesse work finishing a slab.

7) Quality control: The plant runs 24/7, five days a week, producing 1,500 to 2,000 slabs a day.

8) Stone storage: Cambria has yet to retire a pattern, making it easy to find replacement matches years later.