By Ed Thomas A PAIR of savvy chicks from north London are ruffling feathers in the world of big business after being named amongst the top entrepreneurs in the country. Anna Richey, 29, and Alla Chapples, 27, have reached the national finals of the HSBC S

By Ed Thomas

A PAIR of savvy chicks from north London are ruffling feathers in the world of big business after being named amongst the top entrepreneurs in the country.

Anna Richey, 29, and Alla Chapples, 27, have reached the national finals of the HSBC Start-Up Stars awards with a top prize of £50,000 up for grabs.

The pair came up with the idea of selling free-range liquid egg white and founded Anna Alla Ltd in August last year to produce cartons of the Two Chicks liquid egg white.

Ms Richey, of Courthope Road in Gospel Oak, and Ms Chapples, originally from St Petersburgh in Russia but now living in St John's Wood, have since seen their product stocked by top stores including Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Harrods, Selfridges, Whole Foods and John Lewis.

"I spent some time in Los Angeles after graduating and the product is big over there," said Ms Richey.

"There is no fat or cholesterol in it, so it's big with the celebrities and also with body builders.

"When I came back to the UK there were lots of articles in magazines about the benefits of eating egg white, but people had to separate eggs out themselves.

"So I spoke to my friend Alla and we put a business plan together."

Two Chicks was launched initially in Selfridges for a six-week period, but it was so successful the company's brand was snapped up by other major stores.

It is popular because egg white is high in protein but contains virtually no carbohydrate, making it ideal for people on diets as well as athletes looking for a quick protein fix.

Two Chicks can be used in place of whole eggs in dishes such as omelettes, scrambled eggs, quiches and cakes as well as protein shakes and even cocktails.

The girls decided to put their company forward for the Start-Up Stars awards and will find out if they have won next month.

''We filled out an online application a few months ago and were surprised to hear we'd made it to the last 60. We didn't think we'd get that far, but now we're down to the final 10 - it's amazing," said Ms Richey. "We now have to go before a final panel on October 1 in advance of the the awards ceremony at The Dorchester. We're dreading it - we're going to be grilled!"

HSBC is running the awards as each year the bank helps thousands of businesses get off the ground - an average of one every four minutes.

Huw Morgan, HSBC's head of business banking, said: "We hope the success of Anna Alla Ltd in this year's HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards will help it go from strength to strength, as well as prove to other budding entrepreneurs that business dreams really can be turned into reality."

For more about the girls' company, visit www.twochicks.co.uk

ed.thomas@hamhigh.co.uk