What the Co-Founder of Two Chicks Wants Every Founder to Know
A Businettes AMA recap with Alla Ouvarova, Co-Founder and CEO of Two Chicks
You don't need £250,000 to start a business. You might just need £25,000 and a lot of nerve.
That's how Alla Ouvarova built Two Chicks, the brand that single handedly created the liquid egg white category in the UK. Nearly 19 years later, Two Chicks is stocked in every major UK supermarket, has listings across Europe, and in 2025 sold a majority stake to Eurovo Group, one of Europe's largest egg producers.
In our recent Businettes AMA, Alla answered questions on funding, retail, pricing, and what nearly ended the business twice. Here's what she shared.
💰 Starting With Less Forces Better Decisions
Alla and her co-founder Anna calculated they needed £250,000 to launch. They raised £25,000 from friends and family instead, just enough for packaging and stock to get into supermarkets.
"The more money you raise at the beginning, the more equity you have to give away. If you can get a product to market and prove the concept, it's much easier to raise funding."
They raised £100,000 two years later, then £175,000 after that. Just £300,000 across the whole journey, because the business was already profitable.
🏭 Getting Into Manufacturing and Retail
Nobody wants to work with a startup with no track record. Alla and Anna found their first manufacturer by asking an egg separating equipment company who they sold to, then working down that list.
Retail was its own education. With no marketing budget, Alla stood outside Sainsbury's handing out leaflets herself, including while heavily pregnant.
Her pricing rule: supermarkets typically take at least 40% margin, so work backwards from the shelf price and aim for a 10% net margin once costs are factored in.
"It's got to be a realistic price, because nobody will buy it."
For founders new to retail, her advice is blunt.
"If you're UK based, don't use a distributor or a broker, you're losing a big margin. Find contacts on LinkedIn, call head offices directly."
💥 The Time Two Competitors Nearly Wiped Them Out
Two Chicks came close to failing more than once. Early on, a sharp rise in egg prices meant selling at a loss until they renegotiated with their manufacturer.
The scarier moment came during COVID, when two large egg companies launched competing products and landed on shelf right next to Two Chicks almost overnight.
"I literally thought I was going to lose everything. I cried the whole weekend. I don't normally cry."
Bigger companies have leverage smaller brands don't. Alla and Anna didn't fight it with lawyers. They fought it on the shelf.
"We said to them, put our product next to theirs, see who buys more, and then keep them."
Two Chicks outsold both. One competitor disappeared from the category entirely. When a bigger competitor moves in, the strongest response is proof, not panic.
👥 No Staff for Four Years, Then One Smart Hire
Alla and Anna ran everything themselves for four years, split by their complementary skill sets. When invoicing alone became unmanageable, they outsourced their entire back office to a specialist finance company rather than hiring in-house, a relationship that lasted over a decade and made due diligence for their eventual exit far easier.
"If you can get some help from an industry expert or veteran, it's really good."
Looking back, she admits there's a version of this story where they grow faster with an experienced chairman on board. But outside guidance has to fit how you actually want to work.
📱 Marketing Then vs Now, and Skipping the Research
In the years before Instagram and TikTok, Two Chicks ran on PR and food shows. Started today, Alla would lean into social media and real-world events people want to share.
She's also skeptical of formal market research.
"The only real market analysis is taking your product to market. The proof is in the pudding."
A friend's market research said his business would work. It didn't. Two Chicks' own audience proved unpredictable in the best way: built for health-conscious consumers, first adopted by bodybuilders, and now flying off shelves thanks to demand from people on GLP-1 medications needing high-protein, low-calorie food.
🚪 What an Exit Actually Looks Like
Two Chicks worked closely with its eventual acquirer since 2015, a decade before the 2025 deal. Even with that history, the process was demanding.
"It's very rarely a nice and easy process. The questions keep coming."
Her advice starts years before any deal: keep clean financial records and proper documentation from day one.
Final Thoughts
Asked what she wishes she'd known at the start, Alla's answer was simple.
"Everything takes longer than you expect, longer than you imagine. We thought we'd be retired on a desert island after five years. You've just got to persevere."
And for anyone chasing a manufacturer, a buyer, or an investor who's gone quiet:
"Don't take it personally. People have other things going on, when for you it's the only thing. If they don't reply, it doesn't mean it's a no."
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About Alla Ouvarova
Alla is co-founder and CEO of Two Chicks, the brand that created the liquid egg white category in the UK. Founded in 2007 with Anna Richey, Two Chicks is stocked in every major UK supermarket with listings across Europe. In 2025, the company sold a majority stake to Eurovo Group, one of Europe's largest egg producers. Alla is also the founder of Future Female Entrepreneur, supporting the next generation of female founders through mentoring and networking.