The Origin of the Eyebright Name
Eyebright was to be the name for a completely different business.
In 1978 I was living in Central Otago, in a bus, parked near a derelict glasshouse, on an abandoned apricot orchard. My goal at the time was to become a cherry orchardist, but unless I found an orchardist’s daughter to marry, that wasn’t going to happen on my minimum wage. Besides, what would be the satisfaction in that? The journey is more important than the destination.
What I lacked in finance, I made up for in imagination. I imagined a business where I raised Monarch Butterfly caterpillars on swan plants in the glasshouse (repaired), then transferred the caterpillars, just as they were about to form a chrysalis, onto fresh swan plants.
The idea was, to sell the plants with a chrysalis attached. People would be able to take them into their homes, watch the butterfly emerge, flutter around their house, and head out to meet other butterflies, possibly, from plants/chrysalises I had sold to others in their neighbourhood.
The green chrysalis, of the Monarch Butterfly, has a chain of gold dots plus some widely spaced dots. The largest of these brought to mind the name ‘Eyebright’.
When in 1986, the mother of Eyebright asked the father of Eyebright (me), what we should call our new business, I said ‘Eyebright’, and she instantly agreed.