Crickets as a new protein source? No whey
Entis Protein Power is made of vegetable proteins and crushed crickets.
Company CEO, Samuli Taskila, said, “Our goal was to upgrade protein powders to the next level. The cricket powder is there to perfect the nutritional profile - crickets are high in vitamin B12, iron, zinc and dietary fiber which are surprisingly underrepresented in protein products in general. It also enhances the amino acid profile of the pea and pumpkin protein we’ve chosen to use.
“The protein market has been dominated by whey protein which is made of milk. We wanted a great-tasting powder that isn’t made of milk and is more stomach-friendly.”
Taskila added that insect rearing produces 98% less greenhouse gas emissions and takes up only a fraction of space and water compared to livestock.
“It will be one of the most cost-efficient ways of protein production that will rival with traditional meat production in price and versatility within the next 5 years,” he said.
After having worked on product development since 2017 and gaining a foothold in the Finnish retail markets, Entis is launching across Europe and aims to go global in the near future. Insects were legalized for human consumption in Finland in late 2017, which Entis said has given it a head start to the new market segment.
