A TOP Ribble Valley company has been announced as the winner of an international trade award for its performance over the last few years.

The Printed Cup Company in Clitheroe was given the Outstanding Export Achievement award by the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and UKTrade and Investment.

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The business, based at the Mearley Brook Commercial Centre, produces bespoke printed cups for household names like BMW, DHL and Smirnoff.

Cengiz Avci, European sales director, said: “The award recognises how the company has grown - 22 per cent of sales are now overseas and we hope to grow this to 60 per cent in the next three years.

“The German market is really driving our expansion and we’re very grateful for this.”

CEO Mark Woodward said: “It all started when we got our foot in the door in Greece and then started to expand outwards.

“We have recently started selling in countries such as Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, as well as going as far north as Iceland.

“I am extremely proud of the achievement that the export department have made under Cengiz’s leadership. The whole company is fully committed to growing the export market over the next five years, with the intention this will be larger than the UK business.

“Awards like the International Trade Award for Outstanding Export really show how passionate and committed the business is to exporting all over the world.

“After Cengiz was hired in 2010, European sales shot up exponentially. In the four years since he has taken the export side from 0 per cent of overall company sales to 22 per cent.”

The Taylor Street business was founded in 2005 and currently employs 26 people and is aiming to increase the staffing levels to be between 40 and 50 in the next three years.

Along with exporting to Germany, the company also has representatives in Russia, Portugal, Poland and the US as well as other EU countries.

In 2012 the company delivered printed cups to Downing Street ahead of a Diamond Jubilee party.

Before moving production to Clitheroe, the company manufactured cups at its factoryn China after the orders poured in.

UK Trade and Investment is a Government department working with businesses to ensure their success in international markets, and encourage overseas companies to look to the UK as their global partner of choice.