A TEESSIDE-BASED bespoke designer of conservatories and orangeries has broken into Europe for the first time after sealing five-figure contracts with two companies in the Netherlands.

Hartburn-based Vetro Vivo – established by qualified draughtsman Mike Farrell two years ago – has also won a six-figure contract to design a new restaurant at Headlam Hall near Darlington and is eyeing up Asia, Indonesia, Dubai and Russia to boost current annual revenues of more than £300,000.

The company is also opening a joinery operation to part-make some products and eventually hopes to bring all manufacturing in-house.

Mike, who spent 12 years working for a major conservatory manufacturer, says: ‘Why keep a business in your back yard when there are opportunities all over the world? We have spent two years building up a UK-wide client base and I see no reason why we cannot tap into projects going on in other countries’.

The name ‘Vetro Vivo’ – Italian for Living Glass – was born from Mike’s passion for producing designs and buildings that make the people within them feel alive. A keen traveller, he has developed a studious eye for different architectural styles in countries such as Australia and Thailand.