AN entrepreneur has set up a firm selling Madagascan chocolate from the heart of the Ribble Valley.

Neil Kelsall, from Chipping is the UK driving force behind Malagasy Ltd, a firm that markets and sells the chocolate bars on the European market.

It has three full-time employees, and with deals to take the premium quality chocolate in to Sweden and Italy the company is looking to expand in the future.

Mr Kelsall set up management consultancy Noetic Accociates in 2004 after leaving Phillips electronics, where he was a marketing consultant in Blackburn and America.

The Madagascar con-nection came via fellow Noetic director Terry Horne, whose daughter was working in an orphanage in the African country.

This led Noetic to look at how they could combat the sources of poverty and the employment conditions of the population.

After becoming aware of chocolate production in the country, Noetic became involved with Malagasy in 2004 and became its official European trading arm in March of this year, with products now available at Waitrose and health shops.

Mr Kelsall is now managing director of Malagasy Ltd with native Madagascan Dina Rajaona joining the UK base earlier this year.

Dina, who looks after the company's finances, came to the UK on an accountancy scholarship at Lancaster University that he obtained through Malagasy director Tsiry Wilkinson, who based out in Madagascar.

Based at the Rural Business Centre in Myerscough College, Bilsborrow, the firm is classed as an Equitrade company, which means it operates along similar lines to Fair Trade businesses except the final product is made and packaged in the country of source, rather than simply exporting the cocoa beans for processing abroad.

It is believed to be the world's first Equitrade company and was named Start Up Business of the Year at the North West Society of Chartered Accountants Awards at Barton Grange Hotel.

The firm has set up the first added value trading link between the UK and Madagascar through Equitrade.

A percentage of profits is goes back into the country, which ranks among the world's 10 poorest countries.

Neil said: "Our Equitrade ethos simply means that we equitably share the added value we generate.

"Malagasy will not sell cash crops from Madagascar at pence per kilogram, so that other companies can sell them at pounds per kilogram in international markets.

"By forming a partnership with the Madagascan producers we are investing in skills and know-how that will give them a basis to work from in the future.

"We are boosting the economy of the country."