A New Malden mum's sippy cup design is taking the world by storm.

Full-time mother, and an ex wing-walker, Sara Keel founded Babycup in 2013 following years of being unable to find a cup without a spout or lid for her young children. She decided to create an open cup that was easy for babies to drink from and hold.

After starting out selling the cup to buyers in the UK, including the NHS, Sara recognised that her cup had a chance to go even further.

“Exporting was an obvious extension to the business," Ms Keel said.

"Families the world over want what’s ‘best for baby’.

"The potential audience for Babycup First Cups is universal and the market is as big as the birth rate.

“We’ve secured a lot of our overseas business, including the deal with the Canadian Government, through our website."

But now she may have landed her biggest deal of them all, with support from the Department for International Trade.

She has secured an export deal that will see over 60,000 cups sold across China in the next twelve months.

“Understanding cultural differences presents its own challenges when you export," Ms Keel added.

"For example, in Japan, nurseries are very popular, and often include a tea ritual at the end of the day, so it makes sense to market our cups to this industry.

"But in China, young children are looked after by extended family during the day, so that’s a whole different audience

“We’ve created a second website just for our US customers as descriptions of products are expected to use more direct language. It’s common there to compare your products with competitors, something we shy away from in the UK. But there are strict regulations around how you do this - claims have to be truthful and backed up.

“There are also logistical quirks to keep in mind. When you export to China you need to label your product in Chinese, but this has to be stuck over the English label instead of just replacing it, so customers can see it is an authentic British product.

“I’d encourage other businesses who are thinking about exporting to get out there and do it. We are doing it and you can too.”