The Lord Lieutenant of Kent has hailed a vital food supplier for its rare royal double.

Allan Willett paid tribute to Maviga International, based in Yalding, for twice winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade… in 2003 and 2009.

He looked forward to presenting the company with a third award before he left office. “This is a great day for everyone who has contributed to the remarkable success of Maviga International,” he said.

“It is a great pleasure for me to present - for the second time - the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade - on Her Majesty’s behalf to this Kent-based company that is making its name worldwide.”

Maviga was founded by Marcus Coles in 1994 to originate, process and supply all varieties of dried edible pulses across 81 markets worldwide. It has annual sales of £150m, mostly from overseas. Some 40 per cent of export sales come from Japan, Egypt, Algeria, South Africa and Spain.

Managers from several overseas offices, including the United States, Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africa attended the presentation ceremony in the Hotel du Vin, Tunbridge Wells.

Mr Coles praised his team for making the award possible. The success of the business was down to them. He said the true test of the company’s mettle was how it handled problems.

“When deals go well, ships arrive on time, customers are happy and payments are prompt, our business needs little looking after,” he said. “But when contracts fall apart, ships sink, markets crash or soar, buyers and or sellers ignore their obligations, and when a serious illness strikes a core member of the team, that is when our mettle is truly tested.”

He said his aim was to continue growing the business and for everyone to “have fun” while they were being successful. A special medal commemorating the event was presented to 18 members of staff.