Baby formula specialist Kendal Nutricare, has been nominated for an award celebrating its achievements in exporting.

The firm has been shortlisted for the ‘QBE New Exporter of the Year Award’ in the 2016 Lloyds Bank National Business Awards.

Since taking over the Heinz baby food factory in Kendal and launching its own products in late 2015, the firm has been growing rapidly, securing contracts in China, Libya and Indonesia, and negotiations underway in Africa, South East Asia and South America.

Kendal Nutricare is the only British manufacturer of infant formula, and has engaged in an intensive export strategy, to open up new markets and represent British manufacturing excellence overseas.

Ross McMahon, CEO of Kendal Nutricare, says: ““We are delighted to be shortlisted for such a prestigious business award, which will give us added credibility in our export markets, as we introduce our premium and unique whole milk infant formula brand, and all its nutritional benefits, to trade customers and distributors overseas.

“Our aim is to explain the tremendous amount of goodness that can be derived from the cream of whole milk and to educate consumers worldwide, so that all understand the wholesomeness of our traditional, nutritious recipe and the fact that ‘Kendamil’ is made in Britain, unlike any other infant formula brand in the market.

“This shortlisting will provide a new platform from which to do this.”

The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards have been described as “the Oscars of great British business” by former Prime Minister, David Cameron.

Group brand director of the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards,Tom Broughton, said: “Due to the high number of entries for this years’ awards, narrowing the entries down to 140 finalists was a difficult task.

“But through a thorough and comprehensive judging process, the selected finalists demonstrate exceptional quality and diversity across a range of business sectors within the UK.

“We are now looking forward to the next step of the process and meeting some of the finalists face-to-face.”

The winners will be revealed on November 15, at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane in London.