AN ingredients company based just outside Tenbury is attributing a massive growth in sales to the growing popularity of home baking combined with an increasing coverage of cooking on television and film.

Orchard Valley Foods in Tenbury is expecting to see sales increase by more than 25% to £22 million this year.

This compares with £16.5 million last year and £12 million two years ago.

In a new move it has developed a product that makes a vegetarian marshmallow a reality.

The company, that started as a home based business, supplies ingredients to the more than 500 bakery industry customers all over the world and employs 70 people mainly from the Tenbury area.

Orchard Valley Foods makes half of its products in the UK, with the rest manufactured in European countries including Sweden and Spain.

It started exporting to Australia and Canada, taking advantage of growing consumer awareness around natural flavours and colourings.

Mike Forrester says that there is a different approach to food ingredients between Europe and the United States.

“In the US, a lot of the sugar products have potentially gone through the genetically modified route at some point. In Europe, the potential of GM products is greatly reduced,” Mr Forrester said.

Orchard Valley ingredients include a range of products some of which are purchased at supermarkets to sprinkle on to cakes to other products used in industrial baking.

Mike Forrester says that films like Disneys ‘Frozen’ have boosted sales as children demand treats like edible glitter, an ice castle and a Snow Queen birthday cake as shown in the animation.

“We have seen a change in consumers’ appreciation of baked products and how they expect cakes to be presented in recent years,” said Mr Forrester.

“The whole sector’s very fast-moving. A film usually has a lifespan of around 12 months, before consumers move on to another trend. Frozen 2 will be out soon, so we’re preparing for another spike around that.

“The food industry is very dynamic. The consumer expects constant choice.”

Orchard Valley Foods has invested heavily in new products and has now what Mike Forrester describes as ‘the holy grail’ of making a marshmallow suitable for vegetarians possible.

He says that popping candy and salted caramel are two popular ingredients this year, increasingly used in ice cream.

As part of its expansion Orchard Valley Foods acquired Food Ingredients International with the help of a loan from Lloyds Bank.

The Burford based business wants the new government elected in May to do more for small businesses.

Mr Forrester said the most important thing is for businesses to be allowed to get on and do what they do best without being tied down by red tape.

“The research and development tax credits are very useful," he said.

"We hope that will be continued and simplified. Businesses don’t like red tape. We just want to get on and sell.”

Orchard Valley Foods is one of the London Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain.’