Ento has a creepy idea to take on Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat

The Ento team, including co-founder and CEO Kevin Wu (front, center) / Photo credit: Ento

“A cross between shrimp and toasted almonds.”

That’s how the FAQ section on Ento’s website describes the flavor of its alternative-protein snacks. Not necessarily a common combination, but doesn’t sound too bad… right?

Wait until you hear they’re made with crickets.

But Kevin Wu, co-founder and CEO of the self-described “artisan cricket roaster,” says the future of the world depends on eating insects. He wants to change negative perceptions by educating prospective consumers on the plus points of chomping down on these little critters.

Investors seem to agree with him: Ento recently closed its seed round, securing an undisclosed amount of funding from Singapore-based Rapzo Capital.

“Of course there are challenges in getting people to try insects for the very first time,” Wu tells Tech in Asia, adding mildly that for most, doing so “can be a rather daunting experience.”

Initially, I was reluctant to try, but much to my surprise, they were delicious!

While eating of insects is taboo in much of the world, it is commonplace in some societies. Wu got the idea of bringing cricket farming to Southeast Asia after a trip to Mexico, where insects have played a part in local cuisine since time immemorial.

“I’ve always been passionate about sustainability,” he says. “After a brief stint in corporate law, I decided to leave the profession and traveled around the world, exploring business opportunities. When I was on the streets of Mexico City, I came across locals serving crickets and grasshoppers on their tacos. Initially, I was reluctant to try, but much to my surprise, they were delicious!”

Wu later learned that crickets are highly nutritious and also score highly in sustainability terms.

“When I came back to Malaysia ,I tried to order crickets but I couldn’t find any producers or retailers locally, and crickets had to be shipped from the US or Europe,” he says. “This led to the business idea of farming and processing crickets for human consumption, and Ento was born in mid-2018.”

Converting the skeptics

There’s a strong environmental case for more of us to introduce insects into our diet. The Jamaican field crickets that populate Ento’s indoor “farm” in Petaling Jaya need just 15 square feet of space in in order to produce 1 kilogram of edible protein for human consumption. Compare that to cows, which need 254 sq ft to yield a single kilo of beef.

Generally speaking, most people have an open mind and are willing to try.

Lab-grown and plant-based competition

Addressable market