Mr Richard Eu, Group CEO

Eu Yan Sang was founded in 1879 when Eu Kong went from Foshan, Guangdong province to Perak, Malaya where he introduced TCM to his tin mine coolies. A public listed company today, Eu Yan Sang is Asia’s leading healthcare company with its main focus on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and having the same heritage values as when it first started.

Richard Eu, Group CEO and fourth generation of the Eu family says, “We owe our continuous success and growth to our company’s tradition of providing the finest, natural products to our customers built around a commitment to excellence and innovation in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our mission statement of ‘Caring for Mankind’ remains the core principle of our company. It is our greatest inheritance.

“At Eu Yan Sang, we see our potential as being unlimited. We are clearly positioned as a respected market leader and have a duty to educate customers about the wonderful benefits and potential of Traditional Chinese Medicine.”

Eu Yan Sang embraces science to demystify TCM. Richard explains, “Modern technology has made it possible for us to apply chromatographic identification and analytical processes to verify the active compounds found in Chinese herbs. These scientific processes facilitate better quality control and analyses, delivering exceptional standards of safety and efficacy.”

TCM is now regulated by the Hong Kong legislature in order to safeguard the health of Hong Kong citizens.

“We stand at the dawn of revolution in total healthcare. By playing an active role in this revolution, we will not only be ensuring our future success, we will be living up to the ideas that inspired us in the first place: that is to Care for Mankind.”

Richard Eu joined Eu Yan Sang Holdings Ltd (EYSH) as Group General Manager in 1989. In 1993, he organised a management buyout and by 1996 merged with Eu Yan Sang in Hong Kong to form the Eu Yan Sang International Group. Under his tenure, the company has developed more than 140 branded retail outlets in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and China. Its products are also available at thousands of drug stores, convenience stores, medical halls and supermarkets worldwide, including over 60 hospitals and more than 19,000 drug stores in China.

He says, “From the very first day we opened our doors, Eu Yan Sang has focused on providing the finest quality Chinese medicines and herbs to our customers. With over 1,000 different raw herbs in store, we are probably the best-stocked Traditional Chinese Medicine retailer.”

It currently markets over 300 proprietary products under its brand, including several that are household names throughout Asia. These top sellers include Eu Yan Sang’s Bottled Bird’s Nest (for promoting general good health), Lingzhi Cracked Spores Capsules (to enhance and strengthen the immune system), and Hou Ning Powder (for the relief of coughs). Other popular products include Bak Foong Pills (for the treatment of various female conditions) and Bo Ying Compound (for infant health). It has further expanded into various lifestyle and packaged goods items including soup packs, health foods, dietary supplements and personal care products.

This year, it launched its own Good Agronomic Practices for Herbs (EYSGAP-Herbs) Certification Scheme which is also supported and authenticated by the Health and Food Safety Authority in Singapore. He says, “With a wide variety of herbs being used in TCM, quality can be affected by many factors including origins, mode of harvest, processing, storage, etc. We implemented this EYSGAP-H Certification Scheme
to ensure excellent standards in the production and quality control of our herbal medicines. With the application of modern scientific identification and total quality management methodologies, safety and effectiveness of Chinese medicines and herbal preparations are best guaranteed.”

To complement the new standard on EYS GAP-Herbs, we have also embarked on the development of an Integrated Good Agronomic Practice for Traditional Chinese Medicine Electronic System (iGATES) with KOOPrime Pte Ltd. iGATES is the world’s first online portal which streamlines, automates and integrates various world-class quality and safety assurance processes of TCM herbs throughout the whole value chain. 

Commented Mr Eu, “With this system, we can trace the origins of every herb and ingredient we use in our production. This is a very significant step towards transparency and accountability.”
This year also sees the opening of its first TCM clinic in Hong Kong at their main office on Queen’s Road Central.

First ever in the world, it collaborated with Nestle to develop a new range of ready-to-use tonic herbal soup concentrates − Yang Sheng Le.

“Launched in October 2008 in Singapore as a test market, these soups have proven to be very popular. This marks the dawn of a new era of functional foods using herbs and making consumption of herbs in convenient and ready-to-use forms. It comes in a concentrated herbal paste that can be mixed with water and boiled for a few minutes to enjoy the goodness of herbal soups. Our joint development with Nestle enables us to reach out to a wider group of target consumers.”

By remaining true to its traditions and beliefs, Eu Yan Sang has enjoyed continuous growth and there is no doubt that its firmly established tradition of caring for mankind will continue with its present day management.
- Thomas Lim

PHILOSOPHY
‘To Care for Mankind’ is more than a statement of belief. It is the very heart and soul of our company’s motto and a value that is imbued in all who work for us. This dedication is reflected in the products we sell, the services we provide and our determination to spread the benefits of TCM all over the world. We will continue to invest in research and development, and leverage on the latest technology and develop human capital. We are very optimistic about the future and will continue to expand. Our company has lived through many crises; we will proceed with caution in our expansion in the coming year

FAST FACTS
2008
• With Nestle develops new range of ready-to-use herbal soup concentrates -Yang Sheng Le
2002
• Received the Certificate of Manufacturing Facility from TGA Australia and one of the first TCM Plant to receive the ISO 9001:2000 certification
• Approached by Chinese University of Hong Kong to mass produce an anti-viral formula – Kang Du Bu Fei Pills for the prevention of the SARs infection
2001
• Started first TCM Clinic in Malaysia and Singapore. Enters the Australian market
2000
• Publicly listed on SGX mainboard and named Eu Yan Sang International Limited (EYSI)
1993
• Eu Yan Sang International Holdings formed
1992
• Listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange
1973
• Listed on Singapore stock Exchange
1879
• First shop opened in Malaysia