plenzmd1 Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Long story short, looking at investing in a small business. Figure you all could be my first, smallest, some may dumbest😜 focus group. Company makes snack crackers, but instead of wheat or rice or any other kind of flour, they use ground up crickets as the base of the cracker. High protein , no gluten, no soy, very low carb. They taste great to me, and they have different flavor like Rosemary Garlic etc. I have no problem eating insects, and eat cricket tacos every month or so. Realize they are not mainstream however. My thought is with the huge trend towards Paleo, Gluten free, low processed carb high protein diets, this could be a goldmine. Add in the sustainability argument of crickets/insects vs Other forms of protein and traditional farming, and I see insect becoming a bigger and bigger part of the American diet. that being said, I am prolly just being an idiot. So quick question Would you eat crackers made from ground up insects? (Assuming great taste) Is high protein low carb part of your diet trend? Would the sustainability angle matter at all to you? Would you pay extra for these vs a Wheat Thin, Triscuit etc? Thanks in advance for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevewin Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Do you have anything with worms? For me personally, I can't see myself being tempted to eat cricket crackers, even if they were cheaper, not more expensive. Seems to me you would want to target very specific places to market and carry these - health food stores, certain cultural grocery stores perhaps - I don't see the average soccer mom with 2.2 kids loading up her cart at the local big chain grocery store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricojes Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) Long story short, looking at investing in a small business. Figure you all could be my first, smallest, some may dumbest focus group. Company makes snack crackers, but instead of wheat or rice or any other kind of flour, they use ground up crickets as the base of the cracker. High protein , no gluten, no soy, very low carb. They taste great to me, and they have different flavor like Rosemary Garlic etc. I have no problem eating insects, and eat cricket tacos every month or so. Realize they are not mainstream however. My thought is with the huge trend towards Paleo, Gluten free, low processed carb high protein diets, this could be a goldmine. Add in the sustainability argument of crickets/insects vs Other forms of protein and traditional farming, and I see insect becoming a bigger and bigger part of the American diet. that being said, I am prolly just being an idiot. So quick question Would you eat crackers made from ground up insects? (Assuming great taste) Is high protein low carb part of your diet trend? Would the sustainability angle matter at all to you? Would you pay extra for these vs a Wheat Thin, Triscuit etc? Thanks in advance for your input. I would not pay extra or even less to eat crickets. There was something similar on Shark Tank (I'll see if i can find the clip) and no one made the deal because people in America general do not and will not eat insects. It would take mega bucks to educate the consumers on the benefits of eating crickets and change the thought process that goes along with that. They'll probably do well with a small base of loyal customers, but a "gold mine" is a reach. Edit - found the episode... Chapul - Cricket-Filled Protien Bars http://www.chapul.com found a youtube video, around the 2 minute mark. t's a sideways view, but good for listening. My bad, they did make a deal with M Cuban. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bngvOOcKVXU Edited March 19, 2015 by ricojes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Bills Fan Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 If you are investing your money, I wouldnt do it in anything that has to do with eating insects. Doesnt matter what form it is. The market is simply too small and chances are it would take a long long time (if ever) before you start to see a return on your investment. Be a customer if you want but not an investor CBF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) Thanks ricojes for the Shark Tank clip, that was cool. BTW, those bars sound great. But that dude acted like making crikett flour was some exclusive process, and from my investigation pretty basic stuff. Will have te research more though. I will also Google these guys, and see where they are available, how have they grown, and try to get some phone time with them. Again, thanks to everyone who responds. The bug thing I know I'd hard to get over, It's funny, cause I see the soccer Mom as my exact target. Worried about the carbs and processed foods Johnny and Sally eat, and market these as the alternative to carb haven Goldfish etc. Moms are the ones who want high protein the most I think, but again I could be dead wrong. Edited March 19, 2015 by plenzmd1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Info Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 .... Would you eat crackers made from ground up insects? (Assuming great taste) Maybe...depends on cost and what's on the label (nutrients, fat, % protein, fiber, etc.) Is high protein low carb part of your diet trend? Not at all. I exercise intensely fairly frequently and carbohydrates are a large part of my diet. However, I focus on complex carbs and tend to those with low glycemic index http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/plans/diets/the-slow-carb-diet/ Unfortunately, a high protein diet push has been accepted as better for you but there are caveats http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/high-protein-diets/faq-20058207. Only 15% of your diet needs to be protein...20% if you are an active athlete. (but don't take my word for it, look it up). A balanced diet with 15-20% protein using complex carbs has worked well for me as I weigh the same as when I graduated HS and that was decades ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 .... Would you eat crackers made from ground up insects? (Assuming great taste) Maybe...depends on cost and what's on the label (nutrients, fat, % protein, fiber, etc.) Is high protein low carb part of your diet trend? Not at all. I exercise intensely fairly frequently and carbohydrates are a large part of my diet. However, I focus on complex carbs and tend to those with low glycemic index http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/plans/diets/the-slow-carb-diet/ Unfortunately, a high protein diet push has been accepted as better for you but there are caveats http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/high-protein-diets/faq-20058207. Only 15% of your diet needs to be protein...20% if you are an active athlete. (but don't take my word for it, look it up). A balanced diet with 15-20% protein using complex carbs has worked well for me as I weigh the same as when I graduated HS and that was decades ago. Thanks You sir. And yes, I agree that most folks now focus on the processed carbs. I try to eat low Glycemic Index foods , as I too do tris and need th e carbs for recovery and energy. Let me ask you this, would you but these instead of Goldfish for your kids? Would you go out of your way to get them? You are the exact type of consumer I would be targeting, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maury Ballstein Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) I'm not eating crickets. KevinOLeary would tell you to walk away. Huge no, personally I will ignore that market forever. Edited March 19, 2015 by Ryan L Billz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 No eating bugs for me. Just asked 8 other guys at break table and all said no way. Seems like it would be a small market for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 If there was some way to incorporate Frank's Hot Sauce, melted butter, chicken wings into this product I might give it a try...maybe chicken wings with a sprinkle of cricket dust? Otherwise, someone else said it above: The American diet will not change that drastically. We are slowly moving from McD's to Chipotle for health reasons...crickets are a big leap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordio Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Long story short, looking at investing in a small business. Figure you all could be my first, smallest, some may dumbest focus group. Company makes snack crackers, but instead of wheat or rice or any other kind of flour, they use ground up crickets as the base of the cracker. High protein , no gluten, no soy, very low carb. They taste great to me, and they have different flavor like Rosemary Garlic etc. I have no problem eating insects, and eat cricket tacos every month or so. Realize they are not mainstream however. My thought is with the huge trend towards Paleo, Gluten free, low processed carb high protein diets, this could be a goldmine. Add in the sustainability argument of crickets/insects vs Other forms of protein and traditional farming, and I see insect becoming a bigger and bigger part of the American diet. that being said, I am prolly just being an idiot. So quick question Would you eat crackers made from ground up insects? (Assuming great taste) Is high protein low carb part of your diet trend? Would the sustainability angle matter at all to you? Would you pay extra for these vs a Wheat Thin, Triscuit etc? Thanks in advance for your input. Your being an idiot, move onto the next brilliant idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Info Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Thanks You sir. And yes, I agree that most folks now focus on the processed carbs. I try to eat low Glycemic Index foods , as I too do tris and need th e carbs for recovery and energy. Let me ask you this, would you but these instead of Goldfish for your kids? Would you go out of your way to get them? You are the exact type of consumer I would be targeting, I don't recall the last time I purchased Goldfish but I would bring a package of these home to try. I have brought home more unusual items than this (from my travels) for my wife, kids, etc. to try. Typically, some of them like these items and some don't. The kids are open to trying anything but 'healthy' food is not high on their food priority. At their age (college students) when I was superman, I was not as focused on eating healthy as I am now but I was still exercising often. I expect that I would not have to go out of my way as I already visit stores (Elwood Thompson, Whole Foods, etc,...soon Wegmans ) that might carry items like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Info Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) I want to follow-up and say that I probably would not invest in this idea unless I knew the following were true: The taste of these were comparable or better than similar products The nutritional aspects exceeded similar products A good marketing release was coordinated before/with product release leveraging the unique aspects of the product and the nutritional benefits A nice product package will be used and the product will be placed in the store at appropriate location to enable consumer selection Based on 1 and 2, I would expect a slightly higher price (within reason) than similar products Perhaps this product would do better in some international markets (Asia) than the US. Edited March 19, 2015 by Mr Info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 No eating bugs for me. Just asked 8 other guys at break table and all said no way. Seems like it would be a small market for them Thank You Your being an idiot, move onto the next brilliant idea. HAHA I want to follow-up and say that I probably would not invest in this idea unless I knew the following were true: The taste of these were comparable or better than similar products The nutritional aspects exceeded similar products A good marketing release was coordinated before/with product release leveraging the unique aspects of the product and the nutritional benefits A nice product package will be used and the product will be placed in the store at appropriate location to enable consumer selection Based on 1 and 2, I would expect a slightly higher price (within reason) than similar products Perhaps this product would do better in some international markets (Asia) than the US. 1 and 2 absolutely...and i think for two off the charts better nutritionally. 3 is a no at this point, and 4 is yes on the package, but not in any stores yet. That is why these folks are looking for investment. This would be a relatively small investment for a decent piece of the company...maybe be my vocation when i i just get too fed up selling software! BTW Mr. Info, last time i drove past Wegmans site, doing site prep. Should be less than 7 months now Thanks again for the answers everyone, appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) I think the investment thesis is valid but your timing and potential market might be way off. High level, protein from sources once considered gross or scary are already well established in some countries but will be a last resort in the U.S. I think we will get there at some point due to general resource scarcity (WATER) which will impose significant added costs on the production of beef, pork, chicken and thereby price. Growing awareness and emphasis on sustainable and environmentally friendly food sources favors insects as food. Big question is when will crickets be a commercially viable food item? In some dystopian future or 10 years, 20 years, now? West Coast seems like the natural market for this product. LA, SF, SEA, and Portland. Hippes and hipsters will buy in for social reasons, and large ethnic population helps (Asians will eat anything). There's a newer latin restaurant in Rochester which has crickets on the menu which seem to be popular enough to have stayed on the menu for a few months or so perhaps middle america is ready for crickets, but I wouldn't count on it just yet. Think electric car. It wasn't commercially viable until the economics of oil and other inconvenient truths made the idea that was once laughed at practically a no brainer. At some point, to a far lesser magnitude and assuming our legal system prohibits manufacture of soylent green, I think we will look back while munching on crick-ars and think "how obvious" but when to get in remains the big question. Edited March 19, 2015 by Jauronimo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 We were in Mexico at a small tequila factory. They had a bowl of fried crickets there. They were pretty tasty. So bottom line if you want to sell cricket crackers get your customers drunk first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Hammersticks Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Sounds disgusting to me. Even if they taste better than Doritos I wouldn't be able to get them past my lips. People eat some strange schitt though. Marketing them in Asia might be the way to go, as Jauronimo mentioned, it seems like those people will eat just about anything. How about 3rd world counties where they already eat bugs out of necessity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 If you need a name how about Cracker Croakers. You could use Gabby Johnson as your spokesperson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azalin Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Please don't let anyone talk you into giving them money to make crackers out of insects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 We were in Mexico at a small tequila factory. They had a bowl of fried crickets there. They were pretty tasty. So bottom line if you want to sell cricket crackers get your customers drunk first. they are quite tasty...and the thing with these crackers is they look, taste and feel just like regular snack crackers. The crickets are all ground up into a flour like meal... Please don't let anyone talk you into giving them money to make crackers out of insects. Someone talked someone into giving them money by saying raw fish was going to take off...never in a million years would i have believed that. As in another thread, someone sold someone on the idea selling coffee would be huge...i remember thinking that was a huge fad...and that was 1995. Maybe i not so good at spotting fads Then again, i remember thinking the whole cigar thing was a fad...but i was right on that I also saw the demise of the deal of day sights... and was an early adopter in the craft beer trend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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