“Industrial production of traditional meat proteins, like cow and hog, has a very large carbon footprint. Insects offer a wonderful, healthy, far more sustainable alternative.”
In partnership with Employment and Social Development Canada, each month, Startup Canada is celebrating and putting the spotlight on a leading Canadian social innovator driving change in one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Startup Canada was pleased to sit down with Jarrod Goldin, Co-founder & President of Entomo Farms to learn about their impact on SDG 13—Climate Action.
As a Chiropractor and Chiropractic educator for 20 years, Jarrod has witnessed the impact that food can have on our health—and on the environment. After researching the many scientific studies about entomophagy (eating insects), he was inspired to learn about the health and environmental benefits that insect protein provides over more traditional livestock. Having started many health related startup ventures, as well as a successful private practice—Jarrod sold his business interests in 2014 and joined his brothers Darren and Ryan to start Entomo Farms.
SC: What is Entomo Farms?
JG: Entomo Farms was North America’s first—and likely still the largest—cricket farm that grows crickets specifically for human consumption, pet food, and livestock fe
SC: How does Entomo Farms advance SDG 13—Climate Action?
JG: Industrial production of traditional meat proteins, like cow and hog, has a very large carbon footprint. Insects offer a wonderful, healthy, far more sustainable alternative.
In 2013, the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization released a pretty thick whitepaper called, Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security. It basically contemplated the impact on the environment that traditional, industrial meat would have, and the absolute grave necessity to look at insects as a healthy, nutritious, sustainable alternative.
Insects as a traditional meat alternative can heavily reduce the impact on deforestation for growing grains. It can heavily reduce the impact of water usage in the production of meat. As well as massive elimination of methane gases.
Another benefit is the insect poop, which is called frass—and it’s a tremendous natural fertilizer. A study we conducted with Trent University demonstrated applications to hayfields at peak dose had about a 500% increase in the yield of hay. So we’re very excited to be looking at working with major Canadian retailers to package the frass as a retail product for people’s gardens and plants
SC: Nutritionally and environmentally, there’s a lot of benefits to eating insects. What would you say to people who are reluctant based on their tastes or what they’re used to?
JG: We convert these insects into a powder that looks like any granulated flour or brown sugar. You don’t see the insects, so you wouldn’t know that it was insects. And you can use that powder in a smoothie or baked goods like banana bread, or muffins, or in chilli, or a soup for instance.
SC: So it fits into existing frameworks of what people eat.
JG: Absolutely. We’ve done a lot of research and insects have been traditionally eaten by billions of people all around the world. These foods offer incredible full-spectrum nutrition, and just because we’re not as familiar with this protein, we may be reluctant to try it.
I think we can look to examples like sushi where you know, 25 years ago, people thought that if you ate raw fish, you were crazy and compromising your health. And of course, now there are sushi restaurants on every corner all over and the adoption is massive—in part because fish is very healthy, and it’s essentially unprocessed fish.
SC: I’m sure we could easily keep talking about crickets as craveable food all day. What inspires you to keep going?
JG: So first, let me just mention that this business is me and my brothers. So it’s not just me, and I think we need to recognize that my two brothers are partners by my side, and our COO—her name is Kelly Hagen, has been an instrumental part of our business as well. We’re also excited to announce that very recently, we hired our first CEO, Lauren Keegan. So a business founded by three boys; we now have two women as our bosses—we’re very proud of that!
What inspires me to keep going are a few things. When you look at the devastating fires in Australia that have a lot to do with climate change—I don’t want to leave a planet like that for my children. My brother is on his way to Madagascar or for the sixth time, where we’ve partnered with a community there to build a farm that services kids that were basically eating mud pies; incredibly poor children that are extremely malnourished.
What drives me is wanting to leave a legacy for my children that they can be proud of—that me and my family and my brothers, and everybody involved chose a business that had a social impact; that would make a difference; that gave a damn.
SC: What is the next mountain you are climbing and what is left undone?
JG: I think to continue to normalize the product and continue to get people to understand the health benefits. We have a ton more research to do on the health benefits. We just cracked that and we have universities and colleges from all over the world really clamouring to do research with us, which is very exciting.
We need a lot more research on the industrial side, on the farming side, and the processing side. We need to establish rules, laws, and safety regulations with organizations like the CFIA to ensure that there’s a safety protocol involved operationally. Also, just spreading the word and working with food companies and other established companies to help us normalize the product and make it much, much, much more available than it is.
SC: What has been your biggest learning along the way?
JG: How passionate people are about their food, and how personally they take being challenged on whether their choices are healthy for them or the planet.
SC: How has being impact-driven helped you persevere and thrive?
JG: I think if you sleep at night with a good conscience, you wake up proud to tell your story to others, and you’re driven by validation—by the media and thought leaders. Alex Trebek held a conference in Ottawa last year on sustainable farming and we were invited to participate. So it’s exciting to be around a group of scholars and entrepreneurs that care about the planet and care about creating capital wealth in a way that benefits people and benefits the planet instead of taking advantage of people and destroying the planet.
And it’s a ton of fun especially because there’s nothing to feel guilty about, or not be transparent about. We proudly show off our farm. We love the media coming and seeing every aspect of it. So when journalists come up, and they’re used to going to other farms where they don’t even get to really go in—there’s no smell, there’s no odour, there’s nothing that goes to waste. There’s nothing that’s thrown away there, no big bins where we’re chucking stuff out. So it’s a fully enclosed cycle.
SC: What is your big vision for Canada and the World over the next 20 years?
JG: I can say with confidence that our company is leading the way in this field of entomophagy—the raising of insects for human food, pet food, and livestock feed. It’s a proud Canadian story. I hope governments, associations, and grant writers continue to support us, give us a platform, continue to be the wind pushing us forward, and enable us to be the leader in this field, globally.
SC: What advice do you have for Canadian entrepreneurs looking to advance the Sustainable Development Goals with their businesses?
JG: Be passionate. Don’t be afraid to tell your story. Reach out. Don’t give up. Keep working very hard and being driven by the right reasons and the business will come together. It’s very, very challenging but you need to be excited about the difference you’ll make. It’s not going to happen overnight—but stick with it.
Are you up for the challenge of making the world a better place? Join the Startup Canada Social Impact Network to gain access to social enterprise programming online and on-the-ground.