Buckingham Slate Company
Photo by Shanaz Bowman
After more than 150 years in business, Buckingham Slate Co. has extracted less than a mile’s worth of its 13-mile vein considered to contain some of the world’s best slate. That means, says the company’s head of sales, Brad Jones Jr., that there is still another 200-300 years’ worth left. Not many companies in business today can claim that Thomas Jefferson recommended their product, or point to the roofs of the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg, the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C. and the Executive Mansion in Richmond as examples of their longevity. But Buckingham Slate can. Still split by hand, as it has been since it was first quarried in the 1780s, its deep blue-gray-black hue never fades because it never absorbs water—its distinctive sheen coming from mica, a silicate material found only in Buckingham Slate. “It’s a heritage product for our state,” says Jones, “but it’s also the best product in the world.” $700 per 10-by-10 square. BVSlate.com
See all the Made in Virginia 2014 Winners!
Style
Nordt Family Farm, Charles City
Moonrise Jewelry, Cape Charles
Awl Snap Leather Goods, Richmond
Home
Moore & Giles, Forest
Cricket Cove Soap, Glen Allen
Buckingham Slate Company, Arvonia
New Ravenna, Exmore
Fielding Archer Designs, Midlothian
Kala Studios, Arlington
Food
Rappahannock River Oysters, Topping
Red Truck Bakery, Warrenton
Pickled Silly, Richmond
Glass House Winery, Free Union
Willie Byrd Sauce, Richmond
La Vache Microcreamery Caramels, Charlottesville
FERIDIES 5 O’Clock Crunch, Courtland
Drink
Three Ships Coffee, Virginia Beach
Commonwealth Gin, James River Distillery, Richmond
1762 Port, Philip Carter Winery, Hume
Gingerbread Stout, Hardywood Brewery, Richmond
Sport
Latell Sails, Deltaville
Tad Coffin Saddles, Ruckersville
Goodpasture Knives, Ashland
