EXOTIC food wholesaler Asiana, of Nottingham, and Newark-based architects Benoy have won top accolades at the East Midlands International Business Awards.

The prestigious ceremony hosted by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) at the Leicester Marriott hotel last night saw more than 200 people attend from all over the East Midlands.

Asiana, the Nottingham-based family firm, won the International Business Communication Category, and Benoy took the Established Exporter Worldwide award.

Asiana exports Oriental food, including rice, oil, canned fruit and vegetables, sauces, spices and two brands of Chinese beer – all over the globe. They run a multilingual company, employing just under 50 staff who speak a total of 11 languages between them. Their company catalogue is published in four languages.

Sandy Lathia, purchaser at Asiana, said: "We have lots of customers from Oriental backgrounds and we have to be consumer friendly and be able to speak to restaurant and takeaway owners in their language. It seems very natural to us to be adaptable.

"It's fantastic to win this award and while we were sure we had strong competition we felt we fitted the category very well – so it's nice to be proved right!"

While specialising in retail design, Benoy's remit embraces a range of work, increasingly falling under the umbrella of "mixed use," including commercial, hotels and resorts, leisure, airports and transportation and residential.

The company is engaged in more than 400 projects in 43 countries, led by a team of around 550 architects and designers.

The company is now recognised as one of the world's leading architectural brands.

Kitty Parkes, Benoy public affairs director, said that Benoy first became involved with UKTI in 2006 when the firm's Graham Cartledge went on a delegation to India.

"That visit gave us a kind of leverage," she said. "The visit gave people a great impression of Benoy. Graham got to meet very senior people in India and then managed to secure three contracts in that first trip."

Peter Hogarth, the UKTI's international trade director for the East Midlands said: "We were impressed at the way Asiana put their clients' needs first and recognise that successful international trading depends on an ability to communicate clearly. They've been proactive and forward-thinking in overcoming language barriers.

"Benoy is a shining example of how export can really work for a company. Benoy has taken its services overseas, and has helped to spread the word about UK expertise in the field of architecture and design – which is fantastic news for our region in developing great talent overseas.

"We offer support and knowledge to new and established businesses as they develop their trade abroad. We were pleased to be hosting the awards for the third year. It's a very special day to meet some of the businesses and people that we have helped and to celebrate in their successes."

The glittering awards night was sponsored by law firm Harvey Ingram, as well as East Midlands India Business Bureau, East Midlands China Business Bureau and Crayfish Design. The night was compered by TV presenter Suzi Perry, and regaling the audience with his tales of exploration was Ben Saunders – the record breaking long distance skier, and the first person to ski solo to the North Pole.

The five awards presented were New Exporter, International Business Communication, Established Exporter China, Established Exporter India and Established Exporter Worldwide.

There was also the Overall International Business of the year award.