A company which produces charcoal for hookah pipes has won Royal approval.

Swift-Lite has tapped into the centuries-old tradition of smoking the exotic pipes.

It used to make fuel for industry and restaurants but has found its slow-burning charcoal tablets, used in hookahs, have become increasingly popular.

The firm, based in Petley Woods, near Battle, sells the tablets all over the world, including to Africa and the Middle East.

Three members of Swift-Lite's staff met the Queen at Buckingham Palace yesterday after winning an award for turning a traditional rural craft into a successful export business.

They were among representatives of 22 South-East companies to win Queen's Awards for Enterprise.

Swift-Lite's overseas sales have risen by almost 60 per cent in the past three years, largely due to a surge in demand for its products in North Africa.

Its main brands, which have become household names in some countries, include Shish-Lite - charcoal tablets that keep pipes burning - and Swift-Lite discs, which are for burning resins, incense and dried herbs.

Shish-Lite has been gradually replacing natural charcoal in countries such as Kuwait and Israel because it results in cleaner fumes and is easier to keep alight.

The company believes the tablets have encouraged the use of hookahs in homes and hotels as well as the traditional cafs.

The pipes, originally called nargiles or argiles, are often elaborately decorated and stand up to 32in tall on a glass base filled with water.

They are made for smoking preparations such as Muessel, a flavoured mixture of tobacco and treacle.

Their origins are disputed but they became popular across the Arab world in the 17th Century and a part of coffee shop culture.

Swift-Lite took over a small charcoal tablet business in 1984 and started to target the incense-burning market.

A resurgence in hookah smoking led to the start of a sales boom five years ago and the tablets have remained popular ever since.

Managing director Steve Barnes said the Queen's Award was an accolade for the area as well as his company.

He said: "We are proud of our achievement.

"It's all about forming relationships.

"We do not sell products based on price, we're selling to people we have a relationship with.

"These people like dealing with us.

"Eighty per cent of our exports are going into traditional Arab markets."

A royal visit to the company's works, which are near charcoal pits dating back to the Iron Age, is due to take place in September.

Thursday July 15, 2004