St. Louis, MO, May 24, 2023 – Mighty Cricket, a trailblazing company in the sustainable protein industry, is pleased to announce the award of the highly competitive USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant of $131,500. Mighty Cricket will embark on an ambitious Research and Development (R&D) project aimed at converting pre-consumer waste into affordable cricket feed for small-scale farming operations.
The USDA SBIR grant, a testament to Mighty Cricket’s innovative vision, will provide the vital funding and resources required to drive the company’s groundbreaking initiatives forward. This grant seeks to revolutionize the food production landscape by optimizing the use of overlooked resources and addressing the global challenge of sustainable protein production.
Mighty Cricket’s R&D project focuses on establishing a sustainable and economically viable solution for urban farming operations by harnessing the potential of pre-consumer waste as a readily available and eco-friendly cricket feed. The company will establish a pilot farm in St. Louis, where it will source waste materials from local grocery stores and food manufacturers, transforming them into high-quality feed for crickets. Cricket protein is a superfood quickly growing in popularity, touted for its nutritional and sustainable benefits. The company already has product lines of cricket-based protein products on the market, selling both online and in retailers such as Fresh Thyme.
By diverting food waste from landfills and repurposing it into a valuable resource, Mighty Cricket aims to contribute to a more circular economy while addressing the pressing need for sustainable protein sources. Food waste in the US is estimated between 30-40% of the US food supply. That contributes to 8% of total carbon greenhouse emissions, which is more than the airline industry. Mighty Cricket’s innovative approach upcycles this food waste as feed to produce on of the cleanest protein sources on the planet.
“We are excited to embark on this transformative journey thanks to the support of the USDA SBIR grant,” said Sarah Schlafly, CEO of Mighty Cricket. “We are revolutionizing the agricultural industry by creating sustainable solutions that benefit both our planet and the local St. Louis community.”
BioGenerator Labs provided non-diluted funding and coaching to Mighty Cricket, which aided in the success of the company being awarded the grant. The collaboration between these organizations demonstrates the strength of partnerships within the St. Louis entrepreneurial ecosystem, uniting visionary companies with specialized expertise to drive meaningful innovation.
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If you would like more information about this topic, email sarah(at)mightycricket(dot)com.