Bottling up success

21/06/13

A British-made, innovative drinks bottle which defied predictions of the BBC’s entrepreneurial programme Dragon’s Den will shortly go on sale through retail giant Boots UK.

Ohyo is a uniquely designed flat-pack, water bottle that can be carried in a pocket and reused up to 10,000 times. It eliminates the plastic waste caused by conventional bottled water and offers huge savings by using a simple solution; tap water.

Prior to the Boots deal, Guy Jeremiah founder of Ohyo used the Centre extensively when developing the design for the bottle. He undertook patent searches in the Centre and found that his design included unique features, which he could legally protect.

He has also successfully completed our small business support programme, Innovating for Growth, which has helped him to rebrand his latest model ensuring his trade mark is internationally protected. He is now exporting to Holland and Ireland.

Turnover last year was £350,000 and his company is pencilling in almost double that figure for next year. Ohyo can also be found on-line and in selected retail outlets including Marks & Spencers, National Trust Gift Shops, The Design Museum, British Museum Gift Shops.

Ohyo has sold over a quarter of a million units to date and will be sold in 110 Boots London and airport stores. If all goes well, the products will be rolled out to stores across the UK.

Peter Morris, Assistant Buying Manager at Boots, said: “We’re confident that our customers are going to love Ohyos. They’re a fun, practical product with low environmental impact. We are always looking for new ways to make our customers lives simpler and more convenient and Ohyos certainly deliver this.”

Find out more about the Innovating for Growth programme.