Allstone quarry offers bounty directly to its customers

July 3, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons
Imagine picking your bedroom furniture right from the forests in British Columbia.
Consumers – the end users – seldom get such an option. But for Schomberg’s Allstone Quarry Products, it’s the preferred way to go.
The company’s limestone quarry in Washago near Orillia is more than an active stone production site. It’s Mother Nature’s showroom – a natural display of what this earth has produced.
Allstone has the mineral extraction rights for the 900-acre property. From large cap rock, with plenty of character, to thick, heavy slabs, Allstone can offer products direct. Whether you’re planning an elaborate backyard water feature or need hundreds of tons for large, roadside retaining walls, Allstone has what you’re looking for.
Owner Jose Melo pointed out the onsite excavating and loading of the material can provide substantial savings to customers, especially on large quantities. Allstone offers newly excavated limestone for roughly $70 per ton.
With a love of geology and a keen sense of where to look, Melo has located some of the finest material the Canadian Shield has to offer. Not only does Melo know a good source when he sees it, he knows when a single rock is out of place at the quarry, in a sea of slabs. Like people’s faces, Melo sees each stone as unique and beautiful in its own right.
Where some individuals may view cap rock as unusual, grooved or misshapen, Melo appreciates the inherent purpose and value in each piece. He’s almost like a “rock whisperer” – he’s in tune with nature. Some of the more attractive and interesting rocks come from the valleys and slopes, where glaciers and movement over the eons helped shape them.
Canada is rich in natural resources and we’re using more stone products than ever before. From road building byproducts and massive layered retaining walls, to stone steps and granite foyers, we’re eager to enjoy something that’s literally carved in stone.
Work at the Washago quarry has only been going on for roughly a year, so it’s not only easy to access, there’s plenty of supply.
Like most sedimentary rock, limestone is formed in layers of calcium carbonate. It has a multitude of uses, including construction materials, aggregate base for road material, and as a pigment or filler in many other consumable products, It’s used in cement, mortar, even livestock feed.
Allstone’s staff often bring customers right to the quarry to show them the variety in size, shape and weight.
There is no middleman and the location of the quarry can serve a large geographic area of Ontario. That translates to savings.
Customers may love natural stone, but they love saving money, too.
Everyone in the family run business has their expertise and the award-winning Allstone has created major artistic pieces and components for major landmarks across Canada and the world, including Toronto’s Highway of Heroes. Most recently, Allstone supplied the craftsmen and granite for the Portuguese Canadian Walk of Fame unveiled in Toronto June 2.
For more, visit www.allstonequarry.com, call 905-939-8491 or email info@allstonequarry.com.