Elizabeth Uwaifo
Founder of Chilli Chop Co
Elizabeth Uwaifo
“Life is too short to eat rubbish food,” says Nigerian-born Elizabeth Uwaifo, who is committed to bringing the flavours of West Africa to the UK. “And Nigerian food is particularly good,” she adds. Juggling her full-time job and a family of four, Elizabeth is a self-professed loud-and-proud Nigerian on a mission to promote her nation’s cuisine and share its spices. Through a series of happy accidents, she has become an entrepreneur, with seven products, recreating healthier versions of traditional sauces and losing the MSG in favour of addictive zests.
Her success came about organically. The business grew, after she had a barbecue in 2014 while she was pregnant with her first child. Friends and family loved her sauces so much that it became a running joke and resulted in her supplying them with the home-made offerings.
Elizabeth came to the UK aged 11 and recognises that she initially experienced some identity issues settling in, but it was in going to university in Huddersfield that she was reminded of the importance of her roots and embraced the Nigerian cuisine.
She’s always been a keen cook, something she puts down to being a fussy eater. Today food is a pivotal part of her life; she planned her honeymoon to Thailand to further extend her palette. She’s also a keen investigator of restaurant menus, which act as inspiration for future recipes.
The UK’s BLM marches in June sparked an interest in Black-owned businesses and although the pandemic dried up her market stall customer base, it gave her time to focus on her online presence, where she noticed a huge spike in sales. But Elizabeth doesn’t want this exposure to deter from her products: “I’m very proud of my business; I don’t want people to buy from me because I’m Black. Buy from me because I have a damn good product. I don’t need people to buy from me for sympathy - those customers don’t come back.”
Next Elizabeth wants to find others to sell her products. She envisions supermarket shelves stocked with her sauces and imagines growing to become a household name. But first, she’s considering her upscaling options to comply with stockists’ standards and is looking into outsourcing the manufacturing – which would mean no longer making the products from home. It takes Elizabeth eight hours to make one batch and she’s currently responsible for all aspects of the business – from cooking, jarring, labelling and social media. She’s conscious of getting the balance right and not being a Jack of too many trades.
“My vision was always more than just making money. I started because I genuinely love cooking,” she explains. “I want to normalise Nigerian food, so that it doesn’t feel foreign. I want to be able to go to a supermarket and find what I want.”
Interview by Olivia Atkins
