With a passionate and tenacious team, start-up Essento has been paving the way for the standardization of edible insects since 2013. During these nine years, the company has been fully dedicated to development and was one of the driving forces promoting the legislative change that resulted in the approval of edible insects. Founder Christian Bärtsch studied reports by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization that addressed the ecological and health potential of insects.
Inspired by his studies, he embarked on a ten-year journey to make insects a regular part of the daily diets of everyone in the world.
The company's vision is a so-called circular food system in which there is almost no waste. They want to achieve this by creating sustainable and healthy ingredients and products from insects that are raised on processed barley from food processing plants.
Why edible insects?
The unsustainability of the current global food system is well known. Food resources are limited, our world population is growing and the current main source of protein - animal protein - is having a detrimental effect on our environment. Insects are therefore the number one choice.
They offer a healthy alternative source of protein and, compared to conventional meat, they produce one hundred times less carbon dioxide and require ten times less water and space. In fact, all insect processing is achieved with almost no waste.
Insects are also full of protein, unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins B12, zinc, iron and magnesium.
Essento products
Essento has decided to cater to savory and sweet food lovers alike, offering their customers flavored insect goodness in its whole form, incorporated into a protein bar or in their unique cricket burger.
You can try the protein bars in berry and nut flavours or in a cocoa variant. For spicy food lovers, they offer crickets flavored with Thai or paprika flavors. For those who don't like spicy options, there are mealworms and grasshoppers in classic salt or alpine herb flavours.
We offer some of their products directly on our website Grigfood.com, so go ahead and try them!