Pictured above: UK Trade & Investment international trade adviser Maggie Neale with Perfection Foods' export manager Gurdeep Singh Bath at the company premises

Cakes made by a family-run Black Country firm are going down a treat in new markets, with help from UK Trade & Investment.

Perfection Foods, of Friar Park Road, Wednesbury, manufactures over 40 different varieties of cakes and confectionery for wholesalers and retailers including Asda, Morrisons, Spar and Makro.

Nine members of the Bath family across three generations are actively involved in the business, which was established in 2000 and has 25 employees.

They turned their attention to export markets last year, exhibiting at the Anuga FoodTec exhibition in Cologne in October with financial support from UK Trade & Investment, which delivers the international element of the Advantage West Midlands-funded Food & Drink Cluster.

Export manager Gurdeep Singh Bath said: "We were overwhelmed by the level of interest in our products - we had over 100 enquiries from around the globe, which we're converting into sales.

"As a result, we're now exporting to Ireland and Malta and currently following up leads from Switzerland, Norway, France, Brazil and Russia.

"So far, our export sales have reached £22,000 and we're expecting this to increase to £220,000 over the next year. 

"We're continuing to work with our international trade adviser, Maggie Neale, to identify new target markets through UK Trade & Investment's Passport to Export programme. 

"She has been a huge help in sourcing financial support for us to visit overseas markets and has given us some very useful advice.

"UK Trade & Investment's commercial teams in the British Embassies have also been very helpful. For instance, we visited Denmark shortly after Anuga FoodTec and the team there gave us many practical tips on doing business in the market."

The company is planning to open a second factory in the Black Country later this year and take on new staff to deal with the growing demand from international and UK customers.

It expects its productivity and current turnover of just over £1.2m to double when the new factory is fully operational from September 2010.

In December, Perfection Foods joined UK Trade & Investment's flagship Passport to Export programme for new exporters. 

The company is benefiting from a package of support, including a free export health check, attendance at an export workshop, assistance in formulating an international trade strategy and matched funding to help implement this strategy, quality training and mentoring advice and access to the full range of UK Trade & Investment services. 

International trade adviser Maggie Neale, based at Black Country Chamber of Commerce, said: "Perfection Foods' commitment to quality in both product and customer service, combined with a proactive approach, has resulted in success. 

"I am delighted that UK Trade & Investment has been able to help through the Food & Drink Cluster and Passport to Export and I look forward to working with the company for a long time to come."

Doug Mahoney, UK Trade & Investment's international trade director for the West Midlands, added: "Despite difficult trading conditions in the past year, companies from the region are doing well in exporting. 

"Perfection Foods and many other companies are continuing to buck the economic downturn and it is businesses like these which will help the region to export out of recession with our support."