On any measure, kicking off a plan to support local communities by selling humble blocks of chocolate could be considered a big call.

But for James, who combines playing NRL with the Brisbane Broncos, raising a young family and studying his MBA at Bond University on the Gold Coast, it’s about gaining the most ground with every play.

James, along with fellow former league teammates of the Gold Coast Titans Selasi Berdie and Greg Bird, have launched a new health food range called BSKT Native through their company BSKT Wholefoods to celebrate ingredients Indigenous to Australia.

But James’ real goal is to use the sales of the locally sourced and manufactured superfood range to help support First Nations communities through his not-for-profit Ryan James Foundation.

“We launched the Native range to showcase Indigenous ingredients and what they can do,” James said.

“As a proud Bunjalung man of northern New South Wales, I’m excited to showcase these native foods to bring better health to customers in Australia and across the globe, whilst providing a circular economy and opportunities for my people.”

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James said the Native range included vegan chocolate, superfood bars and granola utilising native ingredients such as Davidson plum, saltbush and finger limes sourced from southeast Queensland and manufactured on the Gold Coast.

The BSKT Native vegan chocolate bar Dark and Salty combines dark chocolate with Old Man Saltbush, which has been used in Indigenous cooking for centuries and is a source of protein, calcium and antioxidants.

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Davidson plum, that has also been a staple in the diet of Indigenous Australians, is mixed with vegan granola, while finger lime and coconut blend in a native superfood bar.

The BSKT Native distinctive packaging is designed by Gold Coast artist and Wiradjuri woman Katrina Graves.

The range is so far available at the Gold Coast’s BSKT Cafe and in more than 500 stores Australia-wide through partnerships BSKT Wholefoods has established with Go Vita health food stores and distributor PFD Foods.

“We just wanted to start with a pretty simple range where people could love the taste in an easily consumable bar or chocolate,” James said.

“It’s so they can get the taste and smell of the Indigenous ingredients that people ate thousands of years ago.

“If they fly into an airport, they can pick up the bar and they can immediately smell what Australia smells like, and then they can taste it. That it’s healthy also helps.

“In the Australian food landscape these native ingredients aren’t really promoted as much as they should be, and there’s some really great tasting ingredients.

“When people think of Australian food, Indigenous ingredients should be at the forefront. If Indigenous businesses can thrive off the back of that, it’s even better.”

James said the foundation aimed to help Aboriginal people and communities through wealth building initiatives.

He said it followed examples by other Indigenous sportspeople including Johnathan Thurston, whose Academy supports employment and training initiatives, Greg Inglis’ Goanna Academy for mental health, and fellow Gold Coast Titan rugby league player Preston Campbell’s Foundation that helps connect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with their culture.

“The foundation means we can go to a community and figure out what needs to be done and we can put the funds toward that rather than pigeonhole ourselves to just do one thing,” James said.

“There’s some great Indigenous organisations and charities that are doing great work, so we wanted to make sure that we could go out there and help First Nations people where and how it’s needed.”

James said that meant starting with communities in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales. One of the foundation’s first projects was expanding the Minjungbal Museum and Cultural Centre at Tweed Heads to promote Indigenous culture, the native coastal bushland, and establish a hub for First Nations businesses as well as Indigenous youth.

“We want to help support Indigenous businesses as much as we can and you try to do your best to help try and uplift and upskill everyone, because what we want is to build up everyone around you,” he said.