Are you brave enough to eat a BUG? by Skye Blackburn

Sydney

A$31

of $4,000 targetyrs ago

Edible Bug Shop is launching it's new range of edible bugs and needs your help to make it happen! Be part of a unique food movement and be rewarded for your pledge.

My name is Skye and I am the owner of Butterfly Skye's. My business is the place to come if you are looking for a bug, you have a bug bugging you or you think a bug might make a tasty treat! I started my bug business in 2007 after completing my degree in entomology and since then the business has been growing and changing into the one stop shop for all of your bug needs.

Since 2009 we have been selling our Creepy Creature Candy, and since this product has been so popular (and demand has been so high) I have decided to increase my product range to include allot of different products..all containing one special ingredient...BUGS!

I also have a degree in food science (I know...strange choice at the time but I am combining these skills now), so I have come up with allot of new products that will be appealing to our customers. Some of these include Rocky Roach, Bug-O-Nut Rough, Buggy Brownies and Energy Bars (with our special buggy ingredients of course!). Some of these products contain invisible insects (you can't see the bugs but they are ground up inside), and some are obviously have insects inside, so there is something for every level of bug eater.

Why do we need your help?

We need your help to take production of our new products to the next level, so that we have enough stock available to offer these products to retail stores! At the moment I only produce very small amounts of these new products in a small test kitchen (which isn't very cost effective and takes allot of time). By joining us, you will help us manufacture larger amounts of these new products so that we can get our grub(s) to the masses. You will also be contributing to some new funky packaging, to help these unique products stand out in the marketplace. So your pledge will go towards the following

Hire and deposit for a commercial kitchen

Ingredients

Funky packaging

Hire of Production Staff

Website design completion

Now remember that the amount that we need it the minimum amount, and any pledges over this amount will be used to buy MORE kitchen time and MORE ingredients and packaging so that we can offer our amazing products to more customers!

Once we have product in stock, we will be launching a new advertising campaign, to help educate our customers on the benefits of farming insects as a source of protein.

Isn't eating bugs a bit gross?!

We farm allot of the bugs on our farm and source them locally and internationally from reputable suppliers. The bugs that we use in our products are farmed for purpose and are processed to make them suitable for human consumption. All of our products comply with Australian Food Standards and you will be able to find allergen and nutritional information about each and every one of our products (including nutritional information panels) on our website. Our products are tested in a food laboratory, to make sure they are safe to eat, and we follow Good Manufacturing Practices and the principles of HACCP when producing our tasty treats.

So if you can get over the fact that you are eating a B U G and open your mind, you will realise that the bug itself does not taste bad at all. The bugs looks similar to a prawn, so are you brave enough??

We actually eat lots of bugs in our everyday diet and don't even know it! Flour, fresh fruits and vegetables and even fruit juice have allowable limits of bugs inside them. The average person eats about 250g of bugs just through the regular foods that they eat.

What should I eat a bug?

Edible insects are high in protein, low in fat and have various essential vitamins and minerals (depending on the actual bug itself). Crickets (which are one of our best sellers) are high in calcium for example.

Part of our mission is to help educate people about how great farming insects as a source of protein is for the environment as well. Farming crickets requires very little water, they don't need to eat grain (like traditional live stock animals), they can stack on top of each other (in bug hotels which will save space), their energy conversion coefficient is much higher (which means they convert much more of the food they eat into food we can eat) and they excrete much less carbon dioxide and methane than farming cows or sheep for protein.

Eventually we hope to be able to lead the way in sustainable farming of invertebrates not only in Australia, but all over the world. Farming edible insects in under privileged countries definitely makes sense.

Take a look at our websites

javascript:nicTemp();

(Edible Bug Shop is still under construction but I made it available for you to see)

So what do you think?

Are you brave enough to eat a bug?

For making a big difference with your spare change, your name will be added to the "special thanks" section of our new website, for helping to make our dreams possible!

0 chosen

Est. delivery is Nov 12

The same as the $5 reward above PLUS a picture of your beautiful face added to our Facebook page as one of our generous contributors. Let your friends and all of our followers see how amazing your really are.

0 chosen

Est. delivery is Oct 12

Everything listed above PLUS your very own 5 pack of Creepy Creature Candy with one of our limited edition I ATE A BUG pins delivered to your door PLUS your name on the back of our limited edition "I ate a bug" Tshirt (which will be available to pledges over AU$40)

0 chosen

Est. delivery is Nov 12

Acknowledgments as per our $5 and $10 reward PLUS one of our special Edible Insect Trial Packs! The pack contains some chocolate coated bugs, choc chip mealworm cookies as well as 3 bug lollipops (and the limited edition pin of course)

1 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

Acknowledgments as per our $5 and $10 reward PLUS 3 of our Creepy Creature Candy AND your very own I ATE A BUG Tshirt...complete with all of the names of the fantastic people who helped us out with our project. This special shirt is JUST for people who have helped us out with our project. Delivered to your door

0 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

One of our special Edible Insect Trial Packs. The pack contains some chocolate coated bugs, choc chip mealworm cookies as well as 3 bug lollipops (and the limited edition pin of course).<br /> Acknowledgments as per our $5 and $10 reward PLUS your very own I ATE A BUG Tshirt...complete with all of the names of the fantastic people who helped us out with our project. Show how much you like bugs!

0 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

For helping us get sooo much closer to out goal you will be rewarded with our MEGA pack of edible bugs...which contains heaps of our new products. Pack includes 2 flavours of rocky roach, moroccan roasted crickets, lemon and herb mealworms, choc coated bugs, choc chip mealworm cookies as well as a special bug infused energy bar printed with your name on it!<br /> Acknowledgments as per our $5 and $10 reward PLUS your very own I ATE A BUG Tshirt.

0 chosen

Est. delivery is Dec 12

You will receive the MEGA pack of edible bugs as described above PLUS you get to help design the new flavour of bug energy bar that we choose for our website. Be a big part of the product development process and become a bug-a-licious connoisseur. You will get to submit 1 flavour for us to consider, which will then be voted on by our customers. If your flavour is chosen your name will be on the packaging! You will also get the Tshirt!

0 chosen

Est. delivery is Mar 13

You will receive the MEGA pack of edible bugs as described above PLUS you get to help us create one of our new products. Get your thinking caps on because our food scientists will help you come up with a new edible bug product that you get to NAME and will be forever credited with on our website and packaging. You will also get the Tshirt and the credit for an amazing buggy product.

0 chosen / 10 available

Est. delivery is Apr 13

This is the experience of a life time but is only available to pledges within Australia. Skye will come to your house and prepare a 3 course edible bug extravaganza for you and 3 friends. You will get 4 Tshirts and some great grub. We will schedule your bug feast for a time that suits everyone in the next year. If you are outside of Australia, we will send you some amazing edible bug products! The packaging will even have your name on it

0 chosen / 5 available

Est. delivery is Dec 13