Page 30 - Food&Drink September 2019

INGREDIENTS
✷ A BUG’S TALE THE RISE OF THE
EDIBLE INSECT
Twelve years ago, food scientist and entomologist Skye Blackburn was travelling to schools educating children about bugs and specifically, edible bugs. At the same time, she was building Australia’s first edible insect farm and breeding insects for human consumption.
Blackburn has just clocked over educating her one millionth student and been recognised for her innovative work with her company, Edible Bug Shop, by being selected as one of the six inaugural grant recipients in Mars Food’s Seeds of Change Accelerator program.
“People’s initial dislike for the idea is reducing all the time, but also, there’s a lot more information and education around so once you start talking to them it’s a lot easier to change their minds,” she told Food & Drink Business.
A native superfood
Hayley Blieden, managing director of The Australian Superfood Co, shares how native ingredients are attracting brands and customers alike. By Doris Prodanovic.
There are two main factors working in insects’ favour: sustainability and nutrition. They are an excellent source of protein and use much less water, land, feed and energy that conventional farming.
Blackburn is also doing a capital raise to scale up. Currently producing and selling out of 200 kilograms a week, the plan is to build a new farm capable of 10 tonnes a week.
With Edible Bug Shop cricket powder about to hit the shelves of Woolworths as part of its Macro brand, Blackburn’s range of protein powders, oils, pastes, textured insect protein, whole roasted insects, teas, snacks and sweets makes that move a necessity.
THE AUSTRALIAN Superfood Co works with indigenous communities and local growers to source native ingredients to the food and beverage industry, as well as consumers, all year round.
Founder, chief dietitian and managing director Hayley Blieden launched The Australian Superfood Co four years ago at a time, she says, native ingredients weren’t on the map.
“You’d talk to consumers and when you’d ask them what they thought Australian native food was, they’d say Vegemite or lamingtons,” Blieden told Food & Drink Business. “We’re noticing this is slowly changing with native ingredients used on shows like Masterchef, in high-end restaurants and cafes. Bars and spirit makers are also using it as botanicals in their cocktails and drinks.”
The supply chain for native ingredients – such as Kakadu plum, lemon myrtle and wattle seed – is fragmented, says Blieden, with many food and beverage manufacturers
often finding it difficult to source the ingredients. This is where The Australian Superfood Co comes in.
“We are now the number one supplier of native ingredients for the food and beverage market. They’ll come to us because we have a big inventory store, a large network of growers and can guarantee supply. We’re able to process requirements from large multinationals and they can go forward with their range.”
Companies such a Remedy Drinks, ice-cream brand Connoisseur and Byron Bay Cookie Company are all creating product ranges using native ingredients. Whether it is for a
health angle and its nutritional value, or
for flavour based on provenance, native ingredients are
attracting brands
and customers alike, Blieden says.
“We’re seeing these ingredients enter the mainstream and penetrate the majors,” she says. “Before, they were inaccessible and unaffordable – people didn’t know where to get the ingredients or how to use them. That’s what we’re doing with our experts, dieticians and teams, who are going through to food quality, management and supply chain to ensure our customers and
consumers can access these ingredients, and to have for the industry to use them.”
The Australian Superfood Co was one of six recipients in the Mars
Food’s Seeds of Change Accelerator grant
program, and is continuing to expand its current offering, which includes native fruit powders, native herbs and spices, native fruit and herb extracts, paleo granolas, raw bars and superfoodfruits. ✷
30 | Food&Drink business | September 2019 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au