My guest today is up to something very cool! We met each other at an event that I was speaking at a few months ago and when Angela Kelly and I introduced ourselves to each other and I asked her what she did, she said that she was a cricket entrepreneur. And to say the least, I was intrigued. I had only eaten cricket once before in the form of a protein bar when I was 4 months pregnant.
I was totally curious how this woman was not only interested in and came upon crickets, but how she was building an entire business out of it! Well, Angela shares all of that with us today. We not only talk about the health benefits of crickets — but we also talk about the steps you need to take to actually launch a food product. And what’s so cool about this is that we talk specifically about how Toronto is an excellent center and has incredible resources for those who have really cool food products they want to bring to the market.
This podcast hits all of the marks on everything that’s important to us here at Entrepology: health, entrepreneurship, and badassery — because frankly, eating bugs is the most badass things I’ve ever heard of.
Key Takeaways:
[1:42] About my guest today, Angela Kelly.
[3:17] Welcoming Angela to the podcast!
[3:42] Angela gives us some background on what it means to be a cricket entrepreneur.
[5:17] Where did the consumption of insects originate?
[6:30] How do you cook with crickets?
[8:00] Why do we have such a block towards cooking with insects? And how Angela helps people get past the “ick” factor.
[9:35] Do “whole-roasted crickets” look like full crickets?
[10:29] What crickets taste like.
[10:50] Angela talks about the environmental benefits of consuming crickets.
[14:05] My first cricket tasting experience.
[14:45] About the cricket products Angela offers.
[16:04] What component of the cricket helps reduce inflammation in the gut?
[16:45] How a cricket entrepreneur is similar to being a naturopathic doctor.
[17:22] How Angela positioned her innovative product to get it in front of consumers.
[19:35] Angela takes us through her journey as a food entrepreneur.
[23:25] Where to purchase Angela’s products.
[24:19] What has been the hardest part of launching her business?
[25:40] Does Angela think there are other insects that will also rise in popularity similarly to crickets?
[27:47] Does Angela actively cook with some of these other edible insects in her life?
[28:56] About our Impact LIVEs event in Toronto!
[30:44] Angela’s key performance indicators!
[35:00] Where to learn more about Angela and her products.
Mentioned in This Episode:
“Eating Crickets Can Be Good for Your Gut, According to New Clinical Trial” (Article on Lab Manager)
Impact LIVEs (event in Toronto) Oct. 26-27th (Coupon code: Entrepology20 for 20% off)
Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World, by Timothy Ferriss
More About Angela Kelly
Angela Kelly is the founder and CEO of Fit Cricket Nutrition, based in Toronto, Ontario. Her product, Fit Cricket Nutrition, is cricket-based nutrition in the form of protein bars and cricket powder. Not only are crickets healthy for you — they’re healthy for the planet too!
As Angela explains, “They offer a sustainable and complete protein and a lot of it! Most plant-based proteins are incomplete and need to be paired with other proteins to get the full amino acid spectrum the body needs, whereas crickets already contain all 9 essential amino acids.” Cricket powder provides almost 3x the amount of protein than beef, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, contains a perfect Omega-6 to -3 ratio for the human body, and is a great source of fiber and Vitamin B12. Crickets also promote an optimal microbiome! They’re also very sustainable; if one family of four ate insect protein once a week over the span of a year they would save the planet 650,000L of fresh water.
Fit Cricket Protein Bars are 10g of protein in just a 50g serving size using cricket powder as our second ingredient (of only 8) so you are really reaping the nutritional benefits of crickets. They are gluten, soy, dairy- and nut-free, NON-GMO and have no refined sugars.
To learn more about Angela and her passion for crickets, read the story here!
Connect with my Guest:
Website: FitCricket.com
Social Media: Facebook and Instagram
If you enjoyed our conversation and would like to hear more:
Please subscribe to The Entrepology Podcast on Stitcher or iTunes.
We would also appreciate a review!
Join our badass Women’s Facebook Group, Legacy Performance Labs
If you want to be something amazing, you need to surround yourself with amazing people! The Legacy community is made up of badass women living — not leaving — their legacy every single day. If you are on a mission and get it that your health is the key to your unlimited potential — Join us on Facebook!
BRAIN HEALTH HANDOUT
Grab our simple checklist for balancing your neurotransmitters right here!
Your brain biochemistry can help amplify your mindset or your capacity to be effective — it can help accelerate your mission in the world. If you want to learn more about how you can optimize your brain health for success visit MeghanWalker.com/BrainHealth!
CALL TO ACTION
My challenge to you this week is to try a new, healthy, daring food. We all try to eat as healthy as possible but why not take the leap and try a new recipe this week with a new healthy ingredient? Who knows, you might find your new favorite just as Angela did (and maybe it will even be crickets?). Remember to follow-up on The Entrepology Podcast Facebook page — because when you are accountable, you are helpable.
Tweetables:
“Why aren’t more of us eating bugs?” — Angela Kelly
“We’ve always been eating bugs! We’re actually the weird ones [in North America] not eating them.” — Angela Kelly
“The [cricket protein powder] is 100% powdered crickets, nothing else added to it. 12 grams of that [provides] 7 grams of protein, almost 80% of your vitamin b12, [and it’s a] great source of iron [and] calcium.” — Angela Kelly
“There’s definitely been a lot of challenges but I have to say there have also been so many great people here in Toronto that have helped me out.” — Angela Kelly
“I never thought I had [entrepreneurism] in me before I found something that I was actually just truly passionate about. I feel like something sparked within me when I discovered crickets and I felt like I could really make a change with it.” — Angela Kelly