Developing the consumer market for insects
05 Nov 2019 | Eat Grub
A key challenge for insect companies is convincing manufacturers to work with bugs due to concerns around hygiene and other challenges related to creating an entirely new production line. This is according to Neil Whippey, who was presenting Eat Grub’s new line of whole crickets at Anuga 2019. He explained that while the company has also made more processed products such as energy bars and powders, the whole crickets are proving to be more popular. This is because the business’ key target market is people who are unafraid of trying new things, meaning that they naturally gravitate toward the whole snacks.
This is Catherine Burrell reporting at Annuga 2019.
I'm here with Neil Whippy of Eat Grub LTD who are presenting a line of edible crickets.
So first of all, can you tell us more about how the idea came about and the rise of insect protein?
Yeah, sure.
So we've actually been pushing the idea since about 2013, so quite some time.
The idea actually was born out of my co-founder, visiting Malawi on a business trip and noticing people eating, flying termites as a point of.
Delicacy, they were frying them up, having them with a beer and chili and lime, so flavored, and we just started a bit of a journey from there, running a series of pop-up restaurants to discover if people in the UK were first of all open to trying, and then if they did try, did they enjoy it?
And we had some really positive feedback and we sat around organizing and developing lots of NPD, trying different things out.
So we ended up with a range of energy bars, some ingredients, protein powders, and now we've got our crunchy roast.
Crickets, which is a whole insect snack, and that's actually our most popular line.
Why do you think that is?
It's an interesting one because obviously the protein message and sustainability message is really key, and it works across all of those ideas.
But for us, our key customer is the person who's not afraid anyway.
We found that energy bars were great for us to get people who weren't so sure to try insects, but the people who are sure and OK with it, they're our customer anyway, so I think that's why.
People have gravitated for our brand to those whole snacks.
And how do you see the insect industry growing over the next few years?
Yeah, I think like alternative protein is definitely going to grow significantly.
I think there was a Barclays report recently that estimated it'll be worth 8 billion by 2030.
I think for us we're developing in the meat stacking area, so we have a sustainable alternative to beef jerky or pork scratchings.
You know, kids in particular, they're now looking for.
More sustainable options and 70% of consumers now think green when they're making their purchases, so it's quite staggering.
Actually 18 to 24 year olds in Europe, 38% of them are open to insects.
And yeah, what's coming next for your business?
What are your goals for the next few years?
We want to really cement the product in retail.
We've got some other exciting NPD that I can't quite say just now that really extends on our current mission.
And as a startup, what sort of challenges and er opportunities have you had over the last few years as you've grown?
Yeah, like the main challenges have been really around manufacturing, like getting things done in the right way, so for instance, certification.
We now have a fully BRC chain, but historically it's been really hard to get big manufacturers to work with insect-based proteins due to allergenicity, worries about other clients and what they might think about, you know.
An insect-based product when they're manufacturing vegan type products, so having to set up specialist lines which haven't historically existed.
So I think that's been the big challenge, which we're now over as a brand and what we're producing.
But then you know there's other things that you know we're constantly raising funds, and also developing the market in terms of consumer interest and awareness, you know, new ideas.
Like this, it's expensive, so it needs lots of brands doing different things in the same way.
And I think we're fortunate here at Anuber today or this week.
We've got some really exciting other brands.
Everyone's got delicious products, which is the most important thing in the food food category.
And yeah, I think we're going to see it, you know, develop really nicely from here.
Thank you very much.
No worries.
