F&D Heroes Issue 1

Food & Drink Hero:
Two Chicks
Good friends Anna and Alla began their business, Two Chicks, from scratch
more than 14 years ago to bring the first ready-separated egg whites to UK
consumers, after spotting a gap in the market for a fat and cholesterol free,
lower calorie alternative to whole eggs.
We have introduced a range of innovative,
convenient egg-based products to the market,
including; an organic and free range liquid egg
white and a fresh ready-to-use pancake mix.
Two Chicks is now stocked in leading retailers
across the UK, as well as internationally.
Part of our success is down to never taking
no for an answer and persevering with
what we believed in. When we were first
starting out, there was an assumption
that two women with just an idea and no
experience in business or food could never
make a success of it. Thankfully we didn’t
listen, but there were times when it was very
challenging and we had to really get creative.
We had a big job on our hands; not only did
we have to convince the buyers to list the
product, but we had to actually explain to
them what it was and why anyone would
want to buy it, as they were all totally
unfamiliar with the concept of egg whites
packaged alone. We were introducing an
entirely new product category and it was a
whole educational process. Then there was
the question of in-store positioning and
which buyer to approach - in America the
eggs are kept in the fridge but in the UK they
are not, so there was no obvious place for
our product to sit.
Starting a business on such a low budget
meant that we had to be extremely
persistent and innovative in order to get into
and remain in the marketplace.
It was a question of always thinking outside
the box and pushing boundaries - ducking
under the red tape at food shows to hand
samples to celebrities on stage.
When we first got listings in the multiples,
we would drive around the country leafleting
outside the stores. We couldn’t afford the
in-store marketing options so we would go
into supermarkets and place our own pointof-sale
on the shelves. But this activity
came to an end once we were removed
by security from a major supermarket
chain and got a call from the buyer.
In 2016 we won the Entrepreneurial
Spirit Award at the Variety Catherine
Awards, set up to celebrate inspirational
women in business. And one year after
our launch, we made the national finals
of the HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards, so
the challenges paid off.
As female entrepreneurs, creating
a fund to support girls and young
women has been a long-held ambition
of ours. This idea has been further
accelerated this year because of the
setbacks for schools in 2020 owing
to the pandemic. We feel that now
has never been a better time to make
a positive difference, which is why
we have decided to launch The Two
Chicks Empowerment Fund. We wish
to align ourselves with women’s
causes. The fund is being set up to help
disadvantaged girls and young women
develop self-confidence through
mentoring enterprise schemes and
engagement in sports and the arts.
Over time we hope to grow the reach
of the Two Chicks Empowerment
Fund to support, inspire and nurture
as many young women as possible
and to equip them with the self-belief,
confidence, and skills so that they can
achieve their full potential, regardless
of their backgrounds.
twochicks.co.uk
@2chicksproducts
@twochicksproducts
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