Oregon Milling Company Focuses On Crickets, Rather Than Grain

A Portland, Ore.,-based company is betting its future on bug-derived protein – specifically, high-protein flours made from crickets. After euthanizing the farm-grown (and highly sustainable and enviro-friendly) crickets, they are sorted, cleaned, then baked, dehydrated, or freeze-dried to remove moisture. They are milled into fine grain flours that can be mixed into smoothies, cookies, bread, protein bars, etc. Cricketflours.com offers an array of products – starting at $15 -- including Peruvian chocolate cricket flour, chocolate peanut butter cricket flour, and an all-purpose flour for traditional baking. The target markets are athletes, people with wheat allergies, and people concerned about the environment.