Andreja Iosub (29 years old), Iulian Iosub (32 years old) and Andrej Urserescu (32 years old) are the founders of Grell Bites, a company that produces cricket “snacks and bites” for the Romanian market: protein bars, chips, crispy crickets or crispy crickets, dipped in Belgian chocolate. Since their business is new in Romania, HotNews.ro asked them for more details.

At the beginning of last year, the European Commission approved house crickets (Acheta domesticus) as a new food in the EU. This authorization was issued after a thorough evaluation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) at the request of a company that wanted to sell such products.

In recent years, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has reported that insects are a source of nutritious and healthy food rich in fat, protein, vitamins, fiber and minerals.

Insects are already an important part of the daily diet of hundreds of millions of people around the world. In Romania, however, several politicians rushed to “protect” Romanians from edible crickets and even competed in draft laws on the matter.

Despite the opposition of some politicians, the first domestic business selling cricket “snacks and bites” recently appeared in Romania: Grell Bites – protein bars, cricket flour chips, crispy crickets or crispy crickets dipped in Belgian chocolate.

Who are the initiators and why did they start this business?

The business was initiated by three friends, Andrea Iosub (29 years old), Julian Iosub (32 years old) and Andrii Urserescu (32 years old). At the moment, Andrea is an account manager at a Dutch company and says that the idea about insects came to them in Asia.

“I lived there for three years with Julian, my husband, and you could say that it was our first contact with all that is the delicious world of insects. I was lucky to also have an education in this direction, being a graduate of the Faculty of Biology.

After taking the time to research and read more about the benefits of crickets, we said, this is a source of protein we should be using too! We were also won over by the taste, and not only by this idea, in which we firmly believe, namely that insects will be the food of the future,” says Andrea.

• Also read: What if you tasted it without knowing it? What biologists and entrepreneurs say about the crickets that Daea wants to protect from Romanians, and the European Commission recommends that we eat them

Julian has a more artistic background, he graduated with a degree in literature and now works full time at Grell Bites.

“Shortly after our return to the country, the EU officially declared insects as food. The stars aligned, the context was favorable, especially because we wanted to use our Asian experience to lay the foundations of the Romanian business.

This is how Grell Bites was born, the first Romanian insect-based snack business,” explains Iulian.

Andrew takes care of the creative side, working on design and UX (user experience), and the team is growing over time.

How much was the initial investment and what were the expectations of the founders

Julian and Andrea say they are realistic and don’t expect a return on investment anytime soon.

“This is a sensitive industry. We first need to educate the Romanian public and gradually penetrate the market. From what we also spoke with our employees in Belgium, the fruits of labor will be visible in a few years.

The initial investment is typical for an e-commerce startup, somewhere up to €25,000, including operating costs. That’s why Grell Bites is a long-term project for us,” the two entrepreneurs say.

Considering that in Romania there are not only superstitions, but also bills banning the consumption of insect products, I am interested to know why three friends decided to invest money and energy in such a business.

“Passion led us to business. That’s why I didn’t publish demoralizing financial forecasts or news stories that unfairly and often ridiculously threw tomatoes at edible insects. The main focus was the idea, not the context. “This food is healthy and delicious, we are taking it to Romania!”

We knew from the beginning that the market would be segmented and that our audience would be non-conformist. And by that I mean those who have the courage to try a product before deciding it’s not for them.

Admittedly, when I started Grell Bites, the wave of political hatred had not yet reached this hot topic. Meanwhile, the situation escalated, especially in the nationalist and anti-European sphere. All kinds of detractors appeared who expressed unreasonable hatred of insects. It slowed down our growth a bit, but we bounced back because of the positive feedback we got from people. The main thing is the quality of the product,” says Julian.

What the market and competition look like in the field of insect-based products

Cricket farm in Holland. PHOTO: AP/Profimedia

Julian also says that he previously researched the European market and was surprised to learn how many similar businesses exist.

“What kept us grounded was that we looked at facts and figures. Currently, more than two billion people consume insects every day. We no longer say that this practice is thousands of years old in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

We cannot say how huge the economic potential is. Americans have well sensed this opportunity, which is why it is predicted that the market for edible insects could reach $4.6 billion in 2027 in the US,” Julian adds.

Regarding the reaction they received to their product, the founders say that they tested it on several people, family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues.

“In this way, we also thank grandfather Julian, who told us with the frankness of an eighty-year-old: “Children, hold the food of the future in your hands!” – says Andreia.

From what they’ve observed so far, their target audience is young people, their age, documenting, not a new phobia that doesn’t pay attention to prejudice.

“We tested almost all age categories. The children, always very sincere, told us about the crispy crickets: hey, you say they are salty shoulder blades! You can tell we were happy,” says Andrea.

She also adds that they have proposed to increase the public awareness part and in the future will have educational content that will explain what insects are, what they are good for, why they are eaten, and how to integrate them into the diet.

Why do some people eat insects?

Andrea says there are many benefits to eating insects. “First, let’s talk about the star ingredient: protein. 100 g of crickets contains 60 g. of protein, that’s more intake than what you get from chicken or beef.

Crickets also provide the body with essential amino acids, vitamin B12 (seven times more than in salmon), calcium and iron, zinc, magnesium, which are often lacking in an exclusively plant-based diet.

The benefits are immediately visible, because protein consumption brings a charge of energy necessary for the proper functioning of the body. Grell Bites snacks are a healthy alternative that we recommend to everyone: athletes, ordinary people, people who care about their health, corporate people and more.

With crickets, we are talking about a certain nutty taste, but very light. For example, cricket flour can be used to make tasty and protein-rich pancakes, pizza dough, and pie, so the product can be used in a variety of recipes. Another advantage: they do not contain gluten,” says Andreia.

What is the actual production process

Grell Bites Cricket Meal. PHOTO: Personal archive

The crickets used by the founders of Grell Bites are grown on specialized farms in Europe and cooked in Germany, Belgium and Lithuania. The preparation process is painless, the cooling of the crickets is similar to what happens during the natural hibernation process.

In addition, field studies show that the process is much cleaner and better for the environment, from production until the crickets reach the plate.

The actual benefits are: reduced water consumption, less food for the crickets, that processing the insects requires less electricity and their growth produces no waste.

“And cricket droppings are very good fertilizer for the planet. In addition, cricket-based agriculture emits 75% less CO2 than poultry farms. So, from the point of view of sustainability, our products have many advantages,” we learn from Julian.

At the moment, their products are available in their online store, but they are also present on eMag, and in the future they plan to collaborate with specialty cafes and stores that have sustainable brands.

“Of course, we are waiting with open arms for cooperation with the craft brewery. It is known that crickets are the perfect pair for a cold, tasty beer!”, says Andreya.

What are the plans for the future?

The founders of the company are sure that cricket flour will enter the kitchen of as many people as possible. First, in branded ones, with chefs or chefs who want to experiment, and this motivates them.

“Our initial plan also includes the idea of ​​expanding into production areas. We want to have our own cricket farm, but first we want to have a significant profit that will allow us to invest.

We believe that in the future the EU will recognize more insects as edible, which will tempt many entrepreneurs to turn to this field. Who knows, maybe the first restaurant in Romania with specific insects will appear!

People will become more curious and open, maybe we will also have insect repellent products in the supermarket or gym. We aim to remain at the leading position in this market, expanding the product line and maintaining high quality that satisfies the current demands of the public,” Andrea and Julian say optimistically.

Andrea and Julian advise those who want to start a business in this niche to arm themselves with nerves of steel, but not to give up.

“When we started this project, we did not know how many obstacles we would encounter. One of them was the state, all the red tape and bureaucracy that came with a lot of stress, nerves, Sisyphean paths through the institutions. We are glad that we did not give up. And we’re thankful that we also found understanding behind some of the doors we’ve been knocking on for months.

Another obstacle was the flow of negative news, abuse, prejudiced opinions, accusations that we are doing harm. It’s definitely an industry that requires nerves of steel and persistence because we’re also fighting prejudice and changing mentalities.”

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