EyeBag founder reaches final round of national business competition

Halifax-based The EyeBag Company beat off competition from other UK businesses to reach the final three in the exporting category of the Virgin Media Business VOOM 2016 awards.

The winner will be chosen at the VOOM 2016 Live Finale in London tomorrow. They will receive a one-to-one mentoring session with one of the Prime Minister’s Business Ambassadors and export support provided by UK Trade & Investment.

The EyeBag Company, based at Calderdale Business Park was launched in 2004 by managing director Teifi James, consultant ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon at Calderdale Royal Hospital, when he 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 UK-manufactured product with production, packaging and distribution all undertaken in West Yorkshire.

The business, which has a turnover £728,000 including 10 per cent from export sales, first started exporting in 2008 to Trinidad but now exports to countries including Australia, Spain and France. The product is now ready to export to the US. Mr James said: “Exporting seemed a natural development for the EyeBag since international demand for our product is strong and growing.”