Sports Nutrition Brand: NSF Certified in 12 Weeks

The founder built this sports nutrition brand serving weekend warriors and fitness enthusiasts. When a university strength coach inquired about bulk ordering for their football program, he realized the massive opportunity in collegiate athletics—but collegiate programs require NSF Certified for Sport® products.

NSF certification is notoriously difficult. It requires manufacturing in an NSF-audited facility, extensive banned substance testing, and ongoing lot-by-lot verification. Most contract manufacturers either can't support NSF or charge 3x premiums.

He needed a manufacturing partner who could achieve NSF certification without destroying his margins or requiring complete reformulation of his proven products.

Build Your Own Brand operates dedicated NSF-certified production lines specifically for sports nutrition. We transferred the brand's formulas to our certified facility and conducted comprehensive banned substance screening.

Our regulatory team managed the entire NSF application process—facility audits, documentation, and ongoing compliance requirements. We structured production in dedicated batches with chain-of-custody protocols that satisfy the most rigorous athletic program requirements.

We also optimized their pre-workout formula for better mixability without changing the active profile—a frequent complaint from their existing customers that we solved during reformulation.

The brand received NSF Certified for Sport® designation in 12 weeks—significantly faster than the 6-month industry average. They immediately secured contracts with 23 NCAA Division I programs for the 2025-26 season.

Revenue increased 47% year-over-year, with collegiate and professional sales representing the highest-margin customer segment. The NSF certification also boosted consumer trust, increasing direct-to-consumer conversion rates by 31%.

The brand is now the official nutrition partner of two MLS teams and is in discussions with NFL team partnerships.