“Eat Crickets,Change The World”
Conversations around our food system are ever evolving. If the focus was once solely on developing a sustainable food system, it is now on creating a system that produces “win-win” diets- diets that work for the planet and our health. In this context, a concept that comes up repeatedly is entomophagy- the eating of insects.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been working on incorporating insects in people’s diets since 2003. As the FAO page explains, insects are sources of high quality proteins and vitamins, plus, and this is a big plus, they emit less greenhouse gases. They can also be grown on organic waste matter. “Crickets need six times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep, and twice less than pigs and broiler chickens to produce the same amount of protein,” FAO writes.
The above facts are what got Francesco Majno and Edoardo Imparato interested in the world of insects, so much so that they decided to give up their marketing/consulting jobs to enter the world of food entrepreneurship. In 2017, along with a few friends, they set up Crické an insect-based snack company. Over Skype, I spoke to Majno about insects, snacks and making people less queasy when the two are combined.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqCgWyZnkOz/
“It was just an idea that popped in our minds. As we worked on it, we realized that this was the way to move forward.”
Majno and Imparato were first intrigued by the world of entomophagy when they found that many communities across the world consume insects regularly. “We were a bit amazed by this fact. We then read the FAO report and realized that they have been promoting insects for many years now,” said Majno.
The friends turned colleagues explored this concept and before they knew, they were hooked. “With all the nutritional benefits and environmental benefits that insects provide, we began thinking how can we create products that increase insect consumption.”
They discussed their ideas and found a small group of people who were equally excited by this concept. The Crické team set to work on a prototype which after a few trials evolved into various snack products.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BumI7PXnnap/
“Most people prefer trying a new variety of snack, so we thought this would be a great way to introduce insect based food.”
On the Crické website today you will find products in two categories-Crackers and Tortilla chips. “All our products are high in protein and in vitamin B12,” Majno shared. “The second main ingredient in both products is cricket powder. This is what makes our product special and adds to its nutritional value,” he added.
Cricke’s crackers come in three flavours, “Nigella & Onion”, “Ginger & Chilli”, and “Sunflower & Chia”. Their chips come in two flavours “Sea Salt” and “Chilli”.
“Most snacks that people consume are not particularly healthy, and not much thought goes into eating them. People eat them because they are tasty,” said Majno. He added that while snacks are a great way to introduce people to the concept of edible insects, they are still chips and crackers- which means they need to live up to the taste and texture. “Every time we ask someone which of the three crackers do they most enjoy, they pick out a different flavour. This is something we enjoy witnessing at events. Everybody has their own taste,” he explained.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu6MyYOgaEO/
“I really think edible insects should be on the list of alternative proteins for many different reasons. “
Majno shared that most customers who approach their products are driven by curiosity, and not really by the fact that insect-based food can address environmental concerns. In fact, a research study conducted last year found something similar. When it comes to such products, promoting their taste and their enjoyable aspects is the best way to market them as far as consumers are concerned, the study highlighted.
Snacking the cricket way @crickefood CMO Francesco Majno on why it matters. #sustainableprotein #cricketpowder #futureoffood Click To TweetSo do they want the insect taste to be masked? Quite the opposite, they want to taste the food for the very same reason. “The taste of the protein powder itself is good,” said Majno, “but we want to have a product which provides the right amount of protein. Developing products for us was about finding the right balance of taste and nutrition.”
As more and more people are becoming intrigued by this concept, Majno said where does see a change is at the distribution level. “Customers who come to us are already curious about this concept. But at the distribution level, there is a change over the last few years. We see that more and more markets around Europe are listing insect products. The market is expanding right now. “
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvmHskml_UV/
“Although we are developing more products, our main goal right now is to be known.”
Crické is planning to add one more flavour for each the tortilla chips as well as the crackers, but at the moment the team is focused on reaching out to more people. “We are selling in select stores in the UK and we are also selling on a few e-commerce platforms. So we are focusing on this and the branding. We hope to add more stores in the London area soon,” Majno shared.
How about a sneak peek into what is going to come next on the Crické product shelf? “The completely new product that we want to launch next is a pasta,” said Majno. Crické team has tried this product at various events and gotten good feedback for the same.
As they continue building their brand Majno hopes that people will see the larger picture through their products. “Insects are a part of many people’s diets around the world, so we are not talking about something vastly different. This is way more sustainable than meat sources- for people and the planet.“
For more information visit https://crickefood.com/.
Feature Image Courtesy: Crické Food.