A laundry products manufacturer has risen from the ashes after a fire devastated its former premises.

ecoegg, which makes environmentally-friendly washing pellets, was presented with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise this week by Her Majesty’s representative in Kent, the Lord Lieutenant Viscount De L’Isle.

Founder and managing director Rob Knight accepted the honour at the company’s new headquarters in Gillingham on Wednesday, five months after its former base was ravaged by a suspected arson attack.

In June, the firm lost about £2 million in lost revenue and stock after the blaze wiped out its unit at Integra Business Park in Park Wood, Maidstone.

Despite that, the company has increased turnover by 60% this year, employing 48 people at its new premises at The Hatchery, Steelfields, in Medway.

It exports about 65% of its products, most of which are made in the UK. It has plans to expand distribution to Canada, China and Japan in 2017.

Mr Knight said: “It was great to be able to come together with everybody to celebrate the Queen’s Award win and put the fire behind us.”

The firm was founded in 2008 after Mr Knight developed laundry detergent pellets that were suitable for sensitive skin, which are placed inside its laundry egg capsule.

The company has sold more than 1.2 million units since launching – the equivalent of more than 1 billion wash loads.

It has also gone on to develop a range of cleaning products for dryers and kitchens.

Mr Knight said: “Innovation drives everything we do at ecoegg, and the laundry egg along with our growing range of other eco-friendly products, have each revolutionised the categories in which they compete.

“They provide a cost effective and natural alternative to products that have remained the same for decades.

“Changing the way we think about everyday tasks such as cleaning, is something we’re very proud of.”