Segun Akinwoleola founded The Gym Kitchen in 2018 on a simple but powerful conviction: healthier eating should not force consumers to compromise on taste, convenience or affordability. Recognising the opportunity long before high-protein food became mainstream, he set out to make healthier meals accessible to everyday shoppers rather than a niche fitness audience.
Building that idea into one of the UK’s fastest-growing challenger brands has made him a finalist for The Cazenove Capital Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the 2026 Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards.
From a single insight to a multi-category brand
Under Akinwoleola’s leadership, The Gym Kitchen has grown from a challenger chilled meals brand into a multi-category FMCG business spanning chilled meals, frozen meals, food-to-go, yogurts, snacks and ambient products. According to the business, its 42 products are now stocked in more than 6,000 stores nationwide across Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Co-op and Ocado. By pairing genuine nutritional credentials with enjoyable flavours and accessible pricing, he has widened the appeal of healthier eating well beyond its traditional base.
Growth and recognition
The company’s performance has been striking. The Gym Kitchen reports that it now generates 62 million pounds in annual Retail Sales Value and was ranked the UK’s fourth highest-performing FMCG challenger brand in the Challenger 50 report, with 75.7 per cent year-on-year growth and 206.3 per cent growth over two years. In the last 18 months alone, according to the business, it has launched 25 new products, expanded into new categories and strengthened its retail footprint through initiatives including a dedicated branded bay within Asda stores.
That momentum has been matched by industry recognition. The Gym Kitchen was named Food and Drink Federation SME of the Year, reflecting both its commercial success and its growing influence in the sector. The company’s registration is recorded at Companies House.
An influential voice
Beyond the numbers, Akinwoleola has built a reputation for agility and consumer-led thinking, with the business developing products from concept to shelf in as little as three months and becoming an active voice within FMCG through industry initiatives, community partnerships and advocacy for healthier eating. That blend of vision, speed and market impact is precisely what the entrepreneur category sets out to recognise. Finalists across the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards will learn the outcome at Grosvenor House, London on 10 November 2026.
