Duchy Originals, the organic food company set up by Prince Charles in 1992 has made a donation of £2.8 million to the Prince of Wales’ Charitable foundation, as sales remained firm despite the slow economy.

The 21-year-old company managed to recover from £3.3 million of debt when it struck a deal with Waitrose in 2009 allowing the supermarket to sell the Duchy products in its stores as well as wholesaling them to independent outlets and overseas markets.

Mark Price, managing director of Waitrose, commented: “Duchy Originals from Waitrose has had another extremely successful year. To generate almost £3 million for charity is an achievement to be proud of and especially significant during the company’s 21st year.”