This S’porean bandage brand won a govt tender to supply hospitals before it was market ready

Remember four years ago when the COVID-19 pandemic brought chaos to the world as we knew it? It was awful and I don’t like to think about it either, but there were some pretty great silver linings during that bad period. 

For example, many Singaporeans banded together to start a number of community initiatives like SilverGood (recreational activities for senior citizens) and SG Creative & Cultural Community (to support art professionals and creative freelancers). On the medical front, researchers and doctors worldwide came together to develop the vaccine. 

Seeing the kindness and positive attitude of the everyday person certainly left an impression on many, with some feeling compelled to do good too. 

That’s exactly what led Corey Bryant to start bpositive in 2021. 

“It was like the positivity was contagious and a force of good against the virus. From this, I wanted to create something which emulates spreading positivity,” he recalled.

That said, winning a national tender to supply his products in Singaporean hospitals wasn’t really in his initial plans. 

Spicing up a “boring” commodity

As someone who had been a part of the healthcare industry for over 20 years, venturing into this field as an entrepreneur was a no-brainer for Corey. 

He already had a good understanding of the diverse needs of patients, clinicians, and other care-providing institutions. Over time, he had also developed good trusting relationships with relevant people in the industry. 

More importantly, though, he noticed a crucial issue in the healthcare industry that’s felt nationwide but not talked about enough.

“I saw over time the quality of products being manufactured decreased, yet the prices increased,” he stated. “So I wanted to give people really good quality products at a reasonable price.” 

At the same time, he also wanted to make it less boring. In his opinion, medical products have historically reminded patients of their ailments which dampens the recovery spirit. The simple act of making the packaging fun and colourful helps in making people smile and feel better, he believes.

bpositive takes the usual plain white packaging of healthcare products and gives them a bright makeover. Wrapped in eye-catching colours of red, yellow, blue, and turquoise, it makes the brand’s items easily recognisable on store shelves.

Corey even took inspiration from the unsung heroes he saw on the news and made that bpositive’s mascot. According to him, the cartoon superhero embodies the essence of the brand: optimistic, empowering, confident, and compassionate—all things a superhero should be.

Fostering a community-driven approach

That said, spreading positivity isn’t done just by providing consumers with good products. Another way bpositive is working to achieve this mission is through its buy1help1 initiative.

How it works is exactly as the name suggests. With each purchase of bpositive products, customers are able to choose one of the brand’s partnering charities to give back to.

There are currently seven organisations the brand works with and they focus on mainly preventative health and environmental causes. This includes names like Care Corner in Singapore, Teach For Malaysia, and Kids Helpline in Australia. 

Speaking on this, Corey shared that the causes bpositive supports are causes that he holds close to his heart. For example, Teach For Malaysia is his way of helping the underprivileged kids. “Where I am today is largely because I’ve been blessed to have a good education. Unfortunately, some people don’t and I hope bpositive will help bridge that gap,” he said.

To take part in this initiative, customers are asked to create a bpositive account which allows them to stay informed of the positive impacts. The brand also seems to be taking itself seriously as a charity platform by letting customers nominate causes to increase its relevance.

“[We’re] more than just a healthcare company; [we’re] a catalyst for positive change. Our mission revolves around fostering a community-driven approach to making a positive impact,” Corey said.

The founder disclosed that this initiative just started recently, but they estimate to have donated about S$20,000 across the three nations. His dream is to donate S$1 million in the next five years with everyone’s support.

Establishing the brand’s presence early on

When a tender for medical supplies was called in Singapore, bpositive was still in its early stages. Corey recalled that they hadn’t even shipped out their products as they were still unbranded at the time.

But the team submitted what they could and reinforced the brand’s story wherever possible. Two years and countless meetings later, bpositive received good news in December 2023. “We won and now all Singapore government hospitals will have access to bpositive,” Corey shared in his LinkedIn post.

Securing the tender was a significant milestone. The brand had to undergo a rigorous evaluation process to test product quality, reliability, and adherence to regulatory standards. But that just made the win that much more sweet.

“Our ability to deliver high-quality products consistently, coupled with our proactive approach to customer satisfaction, played a crucial role in winning the trust of hospital authorities,” he told us. “Despite facing initial challenges due to the lack of branding, we emphasised our enthusiasm and compelling brand narrative to demonstrate our commitment to excellence.”

Outside of local hospitals, the brand’s products will be available in Guardian, Cold Storage, and 7-Eleven outlets in Singapore from May onwards. Its presence has also expanded to Malaysia and can be found in CARiNG Pharmacies across the country.

In the long run, bpositive’s goals are anchored in its commitment to quality, innovation, sustainability, and social responsibility. So as the brand grows, so too will their impact. 

But more importantly perhaps is how despite being such a young brand, bpositive shows how you can still do a lot with the little that you have.

Featured Image Credit: bpositive