ED&F Man, the London-based commodities trading group, has seen its annual profits double to $75.9m, as the group rides the wave of major global investment in commodity markets.

The firm, which sources, trades and distributes commodities such as coffee and sugar, said its profits after tax for the year ended September 30 2011 stood at $75.9m, up from $34.8 a year earlier. The group's coffee and cocoa trading arm performed particularly strongly, with pre-tax profits for the unit rising to hit $49.5m in 2011 from $9.5m in 2010. Group turnover for the year was just under $10bn, up from $7.9bn during the previous period.