Three decades of friendship marked with Spanish celebration

Long-standing natural slate experts SSQ travelled to Spain in June to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary with supplier Del Carmen.

Dozens of the firm’s customers, employees and other friends from throughout the sector descended on O Barco de Valdeorras, Galicia to mark the momentous milestone.

Led by members of the Spanish family who have run it for generations, attendees were given a tour of the hugely impressive Del Carmen quarry, just outside the village of La Bana in the heart of Spain’s slate-quarrying region.

The trip culminated in an evening of good food and celebration back in O Barco, with nearly a hundred people in attendance.

Ahmed El-Helw, founder and Managing Director of SSQ, commented: “People said I was naïve when I first began dealing with Del Carmen thirty years ago – that they’d steal my customers by encouraging them to buy direct instead.

“But that’s never happened. The Del Carmen family are loyal, honest, sincere people, and it was a joy to reaffirm the ties we first made in La Bana all those years ago.

“Today, thanks to that relationship, Del Carmen slate graces the roofs of outstanding projects all over the world – England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, America, Australia, New Zealand and many more.

“It’s renowned for its exceptional performance, and has earned its status as a superior material that’s capable of going head-to-head with indigenous slate.

Together, the Del Carmen family and I have laid some incredible foundations. Now, it’s time for our children to take those foundations and turn them into a skyscraper. Here’s to the next thirty years.”

For more information, visit www.ssqgroup.com, or email info@ssq.co.uk.