AN exporting finalist from last year is back for 2014 with its eye on two awards after breaking in to new markets.

Based in Whitby, Nature’s Laboratory researches, manufactures and distributes a range of natural health products to a variety of customers in the UK and abroad.

The company, which is entering the Dare to Export award and the Family Business of the Year categories, was founded by James Fearnley, whose passion for natural health stretches back 30 years.

James was joined in the business by his son Hugo in 2005 and also his daughter Cecily in 2008.

As they learnt about the varying aspects of the business Hugo and Cecily steadily took on more responsibility and are now in charge of the day to day running of the enterprise.

The business identified East Asia early on as a priority export area due to the ‘maturity’ of the natural products market in this region, alongside increasing levels of consumer spending power.

After further research into specific countries, it became clear that South Korea offered a great opportunity to become Nature Laboratory's first major export market.

After joining a UKTI trade mission to South Korea in March 2012 and exhibiting at the prestigious ‘British Lifestyle Products Showcase’ at the British Embassy in Seoul, the Whitby company had the chance to meet a number of potential distributors.

After several meetings and a follow up trip to Seoul in November 2012, business development director Hugo Fearnley eventually secured a significant contract to supply their ‘BeeVital’ supplement range to one of the leading health product distributors in South Korea.

Mr Fearnley said: "Through regular meetings we have also been able to promote our exciting new natural skincare brand ‘Sweet Cecilys’. Our Korean partners have now agreed to buy this range as well, with the first order due to be shipped out in the next month."

Over the last 12 months the sales to Korea have increased Nature's Laboratory's annual turnover by 21 per cent, with the firm anticipating a 50 per cent increase in sales to this country alone over the following year.

Buoyed up by its successful entry into the Korean market, the business has started looking at Japan and in February this year Mr Fearnley went to Tokyo to conduct a structured market research project.