Trimetals and Strata Products have been included in the 2016 Queen's Award list in the international trade category.
The two Gardenex-member companies both acknowledged the important role played by the federation in helping them to increase sales to overseas markets. Among the international trading strategies cited by Trimetals in its award application was the company's membership of the Gardenex export federation.

Through its membership, Trimetals has received extensive overseas market research and sales leads that have driven export sales over a number of years. Trimetals has also been a regular exhibitor in the Gardenex-organised pavilions that have exhibited at spoga+gafa in Cologne.

Trimetals general manager Ben Smith said: "Gardenex has been essential for the development of Trimetals' export success over a number of years. Access to its overseas buyer database has been invaluable to enable us and our distributors to identify partners and develop sales opportunities.

"The Federation has numerous contacts throughout the world that have been nurtured for many years. Its designated professional team, that organises and attends international shows, ensures that UK exhibitors have all the support they could possibly require."

Representatives of Strata Products will also be at Buckingham Palace on 14 July to receive the Queen's Award for Enterprise. The company sales and marketing director, Jay Ilsen said: "We are delighted and thrilled to receive the 2016 Queen's Award for Enterprise - the UK's highest accolade for business success. It is a great testament to the hard work of everyone at Strata to win this prestigious award and it is fantastic that our success in this area has been recognised.

"A few years ago we started to steadily build our export sales and the growth in this area has really taken off in the last three years with overseas earnings increasing by 132 per cent."

Gardenex director general Amanda Sizer said: "We receive reports on a daily basis of export successes achieved by our member companies, and are confident that more firms in our sector will be recognised in future years. We are privileged to work with such entrepreneurial firms and to play a part to help them achieve success. Our whole team congratulates everyone at Trimetals and Strata on their dedication, hard work and enterprise in winning such deserved recognition and the reward of the prestigious Queen's Award."