A celebrity-backed diet firm is expecting to fatten up its bottom line as it predicts turnover to double to nearly £6m.

Forza Supplements has set its sights on global expansion next year after investing £1m in a new production facility at its base in Javelin Business Park, Ashford.

Staff numbers are expected to grow to 27, from nine in 2013, thanks in part to product endorsements from reality stars like Spencer Matthews of Made in Chelsea and Frankie Essex of The Only Way is Essex.

Turnover is projected to hit £5.7m when it reports its financial results to the end of May, up from £3.1m the year before and £1.1m in 2012/13.

The boost in sales has been driven by new partnerships with Boots, Superdrug and, most recently, Tesco to sell its range of weight loss and fitness supplements.

Its products are sold in 5,000 stores worldwide including America, Australia and across Europe.

The UK diet market is now worth £300m, with global sales totaling £200bn. America is easily the biggest market.

Forza Supplements managing director Lee Smith said: “We have had a phenomenal 2014 and turnover is projected to increase six-fold over the last two years.

“Britain mirrors trends in America and there is a boom in the diet supplement industry as slimmers look at new ways to lose weight.”

Mr Smith is hoping to fuel further international expansion with a £500,000 interest-free loan from Kent County Council to help with job creation in east Kent. The company has applied through its Expansion East Kent scheme.

Mr Smith, 36, added: “We will present to the council in the next month. We have never applied for support before as Ashford had previously always fallen outside the area eligible for funding because it was thought to get enough funding from the private sector.

“If we secure this support, it will help to create new jobs, educate local people and attract fresh business from all over the world back to the heart of Kent where it needs it most.”

Mr Smith, who lives in Mersham, near Ashford, with his girlfriend Karen Page who also works for the company, has set up a new sales team to secure new contracts for his supplements factory.

He said: “The expansion allows us to conceive, research, design and create a product and then bring it to the market inside three months. We want Ashford to be one of the world’s leading centres for the supplement industry.

“As well as making our own products, we hope to take over the production of a number of leading supplements in the next year as well as launching lots of new products in this fast-moving market.

“We have also created a blending facility for sports nutrition products and we see this as a big growth area in 2015.

“We will also be developing new medical devices and traditional herbal remedies.”

Forza’s most recent brand ambassador is Frankie Essex from The Only Way Is Essex. She lost two-stone in eight weeks taking Forza’s Raspberry K2 capsules.