A HERITAGE firm is putting down trade roots in the United States after winning contracts with Walt Disney and other American customers.

Ancestors of Dover, a firm of professional genealogists, family history and heraldic experts who also produce historical and heritage-related products, is enjoying soaring sales after venturing into the export market.

Sales have rocketed from zero to several hundred thousand pounds in the past 18 months.

The firm manufactures around 4,500 products including miniature crown jewels, quill pens and a range of hand-cast pewter models depicting human figures through the ages.

The transformation came when managing director Nicholas Humphrey-Smith joined the Passport to Export programme arranged by UK Trade and Investment in 2002.

Ancestors, based in The Chapel, Belgrave Road, Dover, tailored its product range to the US by creating American Civil War figures, posters and postcards, coasters, paperweights and chess sets.

The company is also launching a new Natural History range featuring dinosaurs and other creatures as a direct result of requests from customers in the USA.

International Trade Adviser Gary Belsham, based at Business Link Kent in Kings Hill, West Malling, helped Ancestors with its foray into the tough US export market.

Mr Humphrey-Smith said: "The support Gary gave in the early days has been absolutely crucial to our export success.

"Without the help of UK Trade & Investment our export progress would have been far slower and certainly less informed.

"The story is very different now, we are enjoying exponential growth in the US and are securing orders from the likes of the Paul Getty Museum and Busch Gardens and now have a Walt Disney account."

Mr Belsham said: "Ancestors is a great example of a company which, with a

little support, has been able to achieve a great deal in a short space of time."

The company has now set its sights on Europe and Mr Humphrey-Smith believes the French market should be particularly strong.