Our Story

GFN Foods was founded in 2004 by members of the Graven family. But the story goes much farther back than that.

In the late 1990's one of our spouses injured his back. They found that his bone density was low, which seemed unusual, since osteoporosis is typically found in the elderly and he was a man in his 30's. Since he had no other obvious symptoms and no explanation for his condition, he and his wife began an exhaustive search for the cause of his osteoporosis.

After months of visiting doctor after doctor who had no idea what may be causing the osteoporosis, they were referred to a specialist who performed a simple blood test which confirmed he had celiac disease. The diagnosis was then reconfirmed with a small bowel biopsy.

The news was bittersweet. While on the one hand, it was wonderful news that a correct diagnosis had been made, and a treatment for his condition was available, but on the other hand, he was told he had to give up gluten for life! His initial reaction was near panic..."What will I eat?!?!", but slowly, together they began to learn the gluten-free diet.

They remember their first shopping trip to a grocery store after the diagnosis. They spent hours reading labels and bought very little. They tried the gluten-free foods they found in health food stores, but they were disappointing to say the least.

Similar to thousands of celiacs and their loved ones, they researched the disease and learned about what foods were safe to eat. But with baked goods, they felt there was some room for improvement. So they worked at it. They went through hundreds of iterations of blends and recipes to get as close to the gluten-based foods that he missed eating. His wife drew upon her extensive baking experience which had been passed down from mother to daughter through generations of cooking in the European tradition. She compared her new gluten-free versions to the traditional family favorite recipes and developed baked goods that were virtually indistinguishable from their gluten filled counterparts.

Over time, the results got better and better, and they started serving the baked goods to celiacs and non-celiacs alike to get their opinions. They knew they were onto something when they brought plates of gluten-free baked goods to parties and the goodies were gobbled up before they even had a chance to explain to the guests that the treats were all gluten-free. No one even thought that there was something different about them. Several people asked for the recipes simply because they were so delicious – they didn’t even know what celiac disease was and couldn't have cared less that the baked goods were made without wheat.

With many more responses like this, they decided to find a way to share their baked goods with others, celiac and non-celiac alike. As a results of those efforts, GFN Foods was born. Now you can enjoy those same baked goods fresh from home.

So why do we call them Gluten-Free Naturals? These are the foods that someone on a gluten-free diet would naturally want to have. The foods that someone would miss if they couldn't eat wheat anymore.

We hope you enjoy our products as much as we do. A gluten-free diet does not have to mean eating bland food with poor texture. You can enjoy the best, without the serious side effects of eating gluten. Our co-founder’s husband can attest to that. As a result of the gluten-free diet, his bone density is back to normal. He feels great, and he doesn't miss wheat at all. And with our products, you can too!