VODKAS and gins made in Herefordshire will soon be for sale in China following a lucrative export deal.

Chase Distillery in Preston Wynne – Britain’s only single distillery estate – will be shipping 2,500 cases of its vodkas and gins a year to China over the next two years.

Their premium spirits will be for sale in bars across Beijing and Shanghai.

The company, which grows its own potatoes and apples at Rosemaund Farm, worked with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) West Midlands to secure the deal.

Simon Davies, export director at Chase Distillery, said: “It’s been a five-year process, which we expected because we knew it would take time to make inroads, but we have long been confident that our premium products were right for the Chinese market.

“Working with UKTI has certainly eased the process as we’ve worked to access this new territory and we are thrilled that our first cases are about to be shipped.”

A distributor has been appointed and is preparing to ship 500 cases this March.

The award-winning company has been exporting to 36 countries since 2010, but wanted to expand to China, which imported EU spirits worth €338m in 2014.

Chase Distillery started when William Chase produced his first batch of vodka with potatoes grown on his farm in 2008. Mr Chase owned crisp company Tyrrells, which he sold in 2008.

Sally Stevenson, UKTI international trade adviser in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, said: "Chase Distillery is a perfect example of how a business with a unique product in the market place can attract the more challenging markets, such as China."

China-Britain Business Council and UKTI are holding events across the West Midlands next month to help companies start looking seriously at exporting to China.

To find out more, visit www.exportingisgreat.gov.uk.