A North Yorkshire business is thriving thanks to a national reputation for quality, healthy food.

Founder Craig Allen launched GSN (Gold Standard Nutrition) in 2012, aged 21, with friends Neal Rawlinson and Iain Blackburn after believing university was not the best place to further his deep-rooted entrepreneurial ambitions.

Craig had a longstanding interest in health and nutrition and a chance meeting with a client of his father, who works in the meat trade, led him to see convenience and nutrition potential in quality steamed chicken.

The former Barlby High School pupil bought ten second-hand freezers from the London Olympics village and then spent the next few years convincing independent customers about the benefits of his steamed chicken and healthy ready-meals.

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He recalled: “Early doors success was secured within the indie gym scene who were on the lookout for health-conscious savoury options that would satisfy their customers’ taste buds whilst providing a handy secondary income stream.”

More recently though, the temporary closing down of leisure centres and health clubs due to the pandemic, forced the business to look to the wider consumer market.

Craig continued: “If that wasn’t exciting enough universities, the NHS, police stations, ambulance stations, even the Royal Marines barracks were coming on board – environments where healthier living yet quick turnaround convenient meal options were eagerly sought!

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“Time poor, health-conscious individuals seeking high protein /low salt + sugar products that resonate with healthier living goals/ hectic full-on lifestyles.”

GSN offers an evolving range of meat-related products such as Katsu Curry, Mean Beef Chilli, Jerk Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Salt & Pepper Chicken noodles, etc, giving them a modern, healthier living twist.

The range includes wraps, the pioneering Pots of Gold (think single portion boxes of easy-to hold ready meals), meticulously seasoned chicken bites, protein-rich pizzas and steamed chicken breasts.

The products are available online but increasingly on the high street as a growing number of Co-op and Spar convenience stores stock the range, adding to countless university refectories and independent gyms, including the Everlast estate. These are joined by more than 450 independent shops and garage forecourts.

Expanding exports and foodservice success are the next key stage proprieties.

A new Sweet & Sour Chicken Pot of Gold is helping with this.

(Image: pic supplied)

The company is also pushing sustainability in 2024, by using in-house paperless online/ social media for marketing. Its thermal cardboard boxes are ‘gamechangers’ as they don’t use plastic liners.

GSN is also supporting rising amateur athletes as advocates/ influencers, including Levi Sheldon, the Gladiator Diamond.

And August will see a new range of signature meals, promising an extra layer of sophistication, including Ragu beef meatball, chicken cooked on coals and lamb hotpot.

Craig added: “We are up against and outmanoeuvring vast multi-national brands with unlimited marketing budgets but coming out on top. We are very proud of our Northern roots!”