Photo courtesy of Sarah Schlafly, owner, Mighty Cricket
“I was featured in Feast magazine as a rising star,” Mighty Cricket owner Sarah Schlafly told the 4thEst8. “The only disappointing thing was they put a giant cricket on my spread. Even though I do have crickets in my product, I try to distance myself from the ‘whole bug’ because the crickets are finely milled into a fine powder. I didn’t want them to have a whole bug on there for the shock effect.”
Why cricket?
A pound of cricket protein takes a fraction of the water and other natural resources to produce, when compared with cow protein. An equivalent mass of crickets emits far less greenhouse gas than a cow as well. The carbon footprint is tiny! Mighty Cricket launched its first products in the fall of 2018.
In May 2020 Schlafly was featured in the Ringleader section of the 4thEst8 where she shared how she was marketing her innovative products. At the time, Covid 19 restrictions had retailers twitchy about everything, and her negotiations with a couple of them to carry her goods fell through. Regardless, Mighty Cricket survived as sales of protein powders, flours and oatmeals – all fortified with cricket protein – kept moving along via the website.
What’s she doing now?
“I’m starting to set up meetings with retail buyers,” Schlafly told the 4thEt8. “I’m getting on retail shelves at The Frisco in Webster Groves… They sell a nice mixture of gourmet products, a meat and deli section and a coffee shop.”
The Frisco Barroom occupies a building that used to be a general store. It has a small ‘provisions’ section and Schlafly says has committed to carry Mighty Cricket products in the next few weeks.
Photo courtesy of Mighty Cricket
During 2020, Schlafly says she was contacted by companies in Mexico, Japan, Korea and Vietnam that want her products. So she partnered with a co-packer in California to fulfill B-to-B international orders.
“We’re going to get that churning this year. Also, we’re getting ready to launch our Mighty Cricket chocolate bar, available in climbing gyms and bike shops in the St. Louis area,” she said. “It’s a grab and go option for people who have interest in trying cricket (protein products), but want to do so in a friendly manner, and it’s something that is ‘snacky’”.
