ASPIRE Gifts has the Midas touch - it specialises in turning things to gold.

The County Durham business, set up in Wolsingham three years ago, coats anything from a rose to a 12ft palm tree in gold, bronze or chrome.

It concentrates on supplying coated ceramic tiles to just about anywhere in the world, including the Middle East, where it has just completed a £4m order of gold-plated tiles for 1,000 villas.

Another promising market is the Netherlands, after encouragement from Business Link.

Operations director Mike Spencer took part in an Export Explorer scheme to the Netherlands organised by Trade Partners UK - a Government organisation that provides support services for UK companies trading overseas.

He said: "For us, it was a great introduction to Europe. Trade Partners UK looked after us at every stage.

The mission gave Mike the opportunity to meet potential agents. He has secured one for Benelux and is set to continue breaking into new countries at a steady pace.

The challenge now is to maintain expansion at a manageable level without turning any customers away.

Aspire distributes its metallic tiles under the Alchemy brand to retailers but often works directly with interior designers and architects.

It can also apply its metal finishes to porcelain, slate, marble, glass, stone, wood, plaster and even silk.

For more information about Aspire's products, contact Mike Spencer on (01388) 526776.