A food wholesaler has landed its largest ever contract with ferry company DFDS, worth £6 million a year.

kff will supply enough baked beans to fill two and a half Olympic swimming pools over the duration of the deal, the length of which has not been disclosed.

It will serve five million passengers and crew on routes from Dover to Calais and Dunkirk.

The deal will also see the Aylesford-based company deliver 650 tonnes of fresh mushrooms and 6,000 tonnes of chips and potato products alongside other fruits, vegetables and fresh meat.

The business – whose name stands for Kent Frozen Foods – has grown significantly over the past five years, investing in its sales teams and developing its range of produce to include chilled and room-temperature foods.

It has more than 4,000 customers across the South and the Midlands.

Its latest accounts show it nearly trebled pre-tax profits to £1.3 million in 2015 and grew turnover by 10% to £43.5 million.

kff managing director Chris Beckley said: “Our excellent product offering ensures we stand out from our competitors, which was highlighted in the tender process.

“We went up against some of the UK’s leading national wholesalers, representing a significant shift in perceptions, as we become a serious contender to the nationals.”

DFDS on board commercial director Neil Doorley said: “As part of our core values, it was important to us that we started to use a regional UK wholesaler rather than a national or European partner.

“Choosing kff has enabled DFDS to support a chain of UK businesses, farmers and producers.”