Easydry’s Anne Butterly is IMAGE Businesswoman of the Year finalist

Anne Butterly of Easydry

Local woman Anne Butterly of Dundalk-based company Easydry has been nominated for a prestigious business award.

The IMAGE Businesswoman of the Year 2015 shortlist was revealed recently and Butterly has been shortlisted in the prestigious Overseas Irish Businesswoman of the Year category.

Based on the Coes Road, Easydry is celebrating 10 years in business this year. The company manufactures a disposable towel used in hair salons around the world and earlier this year revealed plans to move into gyms. 

Its products are now bought by customers in 22 countries including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Middle East.

Now in its ninth year, the IMAGE Businesswoman of the Year awards aims to recognise and celebrate inspirational women across all areas of the Irish business world. 

Anne is in esteemed company as fellow finalists in her category include Dr Jeanne Bolger (vice-president of investment ventures, Johnson & Johnson), Kathleen Mitchell (vice-president and managing director Europe, Stella & Dot), Denise Tormey (president and co-founder, PlanNet21 Communications), Alyson Hogg (founder and CEO, Vita Liberata Ltd), Galvea Kelly (Global Assistant Vice-President, L’Oréal) and Eimear Noone (Composer and Conductor, Twelve O’Clock Arts).

IMAGE received 350 entries for the competition and has narrowed it down to 81 across nine categories. The shortlisted candidates cover a range of categories including start-ups, entrepreneurship and digital as well as creative and young businesswoman and the shortlist includes representatives from Dell, Pernod Ricard, Just Eat and Oracle. 

The awards are sponsored by Samsung, Electric Ireland, No 7 and Kuehne + Nagel, and supported by Newstalk, Enterprise Ireland, Independent.ie and Marks & Spencer.

The results will be announced at the Businesswoman of the Year Awards which is being held in the DoubleTree by Hilton on Dublin’s Burlington Road on November 2. 

The overall winner last year was Marian O’Gorman of the Kilkenny Group.

Dundalk company seeking funding for single-use towel aimed at gyms

Anne Butterly of Easydry

A Dundalk-based company producing a single-use towel made from wood pulp is seeking to raise €3m to expand into gyms.

Anne Butterly (42) is the brains behind Easydry, a disposable towel used in hair salons around the world. She founded the business in 2005, after a career sourcing raw materials for Irish businesses from Asia.

Its products are now bought by customers in 22 countries including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Middle East.

Anne told The Sunday Independent: “The idea first occurred to me when I was spending time with a friend who was colouring her hair at home. She was using a plastic bag and a stained towel on her shoulders to protect her clothing.

“I just thought ‘there must be some alternative’. I started researching and developed a prototype made from wood pulp with manufacturers in Asia. Wood pulp is a great option because it absorbs moisture into the centre of the fabric as opposed to sitting on the top like a cotton towel. It also biodegrades in 12 weeks in compost conditions.”

Though Butterly intended to sell to consumers, it became apparent that the best place to start was in hair salons. “That’s how you gain traction with consumers; all of the major consumer brands have salon lines.”

Salon customers want clean, fresh towels above all else, she said. “Often you will sit down in a really nice salon and be handed a towel stained from previous dye jobs. It’s just not good enough.”

Irish salons that use the product include House of Colour and the L’Oreal and Wella academies. Peter Marks, its largest potential customer, does not use the product as it has its own group laundry facility.

Easydry entered the gym sector earlier this year. Its range includes a shower towel and a towel for cleaning gym equipment.

“Very few people actually bring a towel onto the gym floor in Ireland whereas in the UK and Australia you won’t get onto a gym floor without it,” she said. “It’s really important to clean gym machines after you use them for hygiene reasons, but it’s horrible to have to bring the towel home after. That’s where we come in.”

It has also developed a range for the medical sector and is looking for a global distributor.

Turnover is €1.5m. The company raised €1m five years ago and is now beginning a new funding round, looking to raise up to €3m.

“The hardest part has been changing the way people think, getting salons to make the switch from cotton towels to something totally different. It’s a new generation textile.”

Source: Sunday Independent