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SALT LAKE CITY — When a Salt Lake company first packaged edible cricket bars in 2012, it was a first-of-its-kind company. Three years later, it's competing against dozens of startups and may have products in thousands of stores by year's end.
Crickets are the key ingredient in Chapul bars. There are about 40 in each bar.
"They're one of the most commonly eaten insects around the world," said Pat Crowley, who launched Chapul in 2012. It was the nation's first cricket bar.
Sure, it sounds a bit on the icky side, but these bugs are frozen, washed, slow-roasted and then ground into a fine flour. There's no chance you'll bite down on a loose bug leg, or antennae — it's all powder. That powder is then mixed into one of three flavors of gourmet energy bars.
"We knew if we were going to be introducing the concept of insects, it had to be in a very delicious package," he said.
The introduction has worked, he said. Last year, Chapul won a big investment from Mark Cuban on the hit reality show, Shark Tank. And this week, Sprouts Farmers Market began stocking Chapul at its 200-plus stores.
By year's end, Crowley believes 5,000 stores will be carrying Chapul products.
"The idea is catching on," Crowley said. "People are just that much more aware of the un-sustainability of our current food system. A lot more people are willing to try something new because we know we need to make some large-scale changes."
Crowley said that is Chapul's purpose — it's not just a novelty. He said crickets provide more protein and consume fewer resources than traditional sources such as chickens, pigs and cows.
"They use about 1 percent of the water resources to water the feed for crickets versus watering the feed for cows," he said.
Utah State University Entomologist Diane Alston studies all sorts of bugs, something more than 2 billion people in the world eat regularly.
"As you can see, there's a lot of protein there, a big meal from one grasshopper," she said.
She said she buys Crowley's sustainability argument because insects are naturally adverse to losing water.
"There's only a few places on the insect body where they allow the water to escape," she explained. "They don't have to consume a large amount of water to maintain a sustainable moisture level."
Alston said crickets in particular can be a very nutritious food source. They're loaded with B-12, iron, Omega 3 and low in fat and cholesterol. About half of their weight is protein, a much higher percentage than the other animals people eat.
But don't call Alston anti-beef.
"I'm not saying we should eliminate beef or pork or chicken. But if we can shift some of our nutrient needs to other sources, that would make us much more sustainable," she said.
Crowley says the sky is limitless when it comes to cricket-based foods, from baked goods to high protein pasta. Crowley encourages those who struggle with the ick factor to get over it.
"It's an adventure," he said. "Not that many food products are that exciting to try for the first time."
A cricket-based baking flour is in the works at Chapul. It's meant to be used in muffins, pancakes and cookies.
