SME Spotlight: The Eyebag Company sets sights on global success
A BUSINESS launched by an ophthalmic surgeon which manufactures warm compresses to treat eye conditions and exports to Australia, Spain and France is about to break into the US market.
The EyeBag Company, based at Calderdale Business Park in Halifax, was launched in 2004 by managing director Teifi James, a consultant ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon at Calderdale Royal Hospital, who decided to design and patent his own version of a warm compress – a re-useable product which can be heated in a microwave.
The EyeBag, which acts as a warm eye mask to treat dry eye, styes and other eye-related medical conditions and can be heated up more than 200 times, is a wholly UK-manufactured product with production, packaging and distribution all undertaken in West Yorkshire.
The business first started exporting in 2008 to Trinidad but has since exported wholesale to many other countries including Australia, Spain and France.
EyeBag achieved a turnover of in excess of £728,000 in the past year with 10% of that from export sales.
The product has just received US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) registration as a Class 1 Medical Device and EyeBag is now ready to export to the USA.
Mr James said: “Exporting seemed a natural development for the EyeBag since international demand for our product is strong and growing.
“Eye care professionals around the world routinely tell patients to use a warm compress to treat a variety of eye conditions. With compelling evidence from research published in medical journals, professionals are now aware that the EyeBag is the warm compress their patients need.”
The company also recently beat more than 2,200 companies to reach the national Virgin Media Business #VOOM2016 Exporting is GREAT Award final.
The panel of expert judges included Sir Richard Branson, UKTI business ambassador Holly Tucker, co-founder and non-executive director of notonthehighstreet.com, Tyra Banks, Sara Blakely, Marcus Butler, Minister for Trade & Investment Lord Price, and Peter Kelly from Virgin Media Business.
