Y Viva España

March 11, 2013

Since we took a major share-holding in Analab SA, Spain the team at Van Walt has been working hard to understand a little bit more about the language and country.

The language is tricky and so far Google Translate is proving very useful!  But a little internet research reveals some interesting facts about the country including the name Spain, which is derived from the word Ispania, which means the land of rabbits!  There is no tooth fairy in Spain but rather a tooth mouse called Ratoncito Perez and Spaniards own more cars than cell phones.

The Spanish are famous for their contributions to the arts, with famous artists including Dali, Picasso, Gaudi, el Greco and Goya. Plus the city of Barcelona provided 1 million euro to fund the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which produced an Oscar for Penelope Cruz, the first Spanish actor ever to win one.

Interestingly the Spanish aren’t renowned for their inventiveness – but they did invent Chupa Chups, the lollipops that line cash registers around the world and a Spanish family claim they were the first to invent a drink called ‘Nuez de Kola Coca’, which they took to the US and then sold the recipe!

For everyone at Van Walt we have found the Spanish to be both warm and welcoming. The team at Analab are committed to working with us to create a market leading environmental equipment supplier for the Spanish market. We are about to launch their new website and an equipment rental service that will include peristaltic and bladder pumps, YSI water quality meters, PIDS and sediment samplers goes live this month.  Watch this space for details!

So, in the words of the infamous 1974 song Y Viva España, this is something Van Walt has on the agenda for 2013 and beyond: