Earth Life, a small healthcare-product manufacturer, has set up a five-year plan to boost sales to Bt10 million from Bt4 million last year through aggressive expansion both here and abroad.

The company focuses on producing and selling multipurpose refreshers and skincare products under the Bio Great brand. All of its products contain a proprietary enzyme developed with financial support from the National Innovation Agency (NIA).

Despite its modest size, the company spends more than 30 per cent of its sales on research and development in a bid to create new products and improve product quality.

Director Nucharee Nilsuwan plans to manage direct selling by applying multilevel marketing to penetrate the local market within two years.

She said that with an initial investment of Bt200,000 in 2005, supported by the NIA, the company had brought her family returns of Bt1 million.

"We intend to make our business grow without borrowing money from anyone. We think that mouth-to-mouth is the best marketing strategy to promote our products in Thailand now and in the future," she said.

The company has a shop in Central Pinklao and seven points of sale in Lemon Farm convenience stores. It is looking for locations for three branches in big cities such as Chiang Mai.

It already exports to India, China, South Africa and neighbouring countries and will participate in the Export Promotion Department's business-matching project in the second half in order to expand to Japan and Russia.

Nucharee said she was interested in selling to Europe too unless regulations to control the quality of healthcare products there were too strict and licensing procedures too complicated. About 60 per cent of sales come from exports and 40 per cent from the domestic market, but domestic sales are expected to rise to 50 per cent when the direct-selling network starts.

Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul

The Nation