Innovation

Producing cricket chips is an innovative means of providing an excellent source of good protein and nutrition, while promoting environmental conservation. Cricket production is more sustainable. It doesn't involve using as much land or water as it takes to support animal protein such as cattle and chicken farming.

Inspiration

Promoting cricket production supports community development. The company is providing an opportunity to develop a high protein food that supports good human health. It's also providing jobs and educational opportunities to its workers. The company is also contributing to environmental conservation by saving water consumption and waste through cricket farming. Cattle and chicken farms require more land and water to produce protein for humans, while producing a lot of unhealthy waste and degrading the environment.

Overall impact

This program is impacting its community in the following ways:

Community Empowerment

Jaya Tani began running the business 7 year ago to help the welfare of a community of around 70 people. The company empowered some 70 unemployed people in the community with good jobs and a sustainable income.

Community empowerment includes:

1. Increasing housing quality for the community with a “building material saving” program
2. Increasing quality of life with a “ Cash Saving” program that can be liquidated once a year
3. Increasing educational levels with a “ Family Financial Education Accompaniment” program

Environmental Conservation includes:

1. Water consumption: Cricket farming provides much better water conservation compared to alternative protein production with animals like cattle and chickens. Based on research, producing 1kg protein from Cow, the water consumption needed is around 6-9 gallons. But producing protein from crickets in equal units only needs around 1 gallon of water water. That's major water conservation.
2. Feed: Like water consumption, raising cattle or chickens requires significantly more feed than producing crickets. Waste products are significantly reduced which also contributes to environmental conservation.
3. Reducing cattle dung - Cattle waste from producing beef is bad for the earth. Cattle dung produces significant levels of carbon dioxide, and is a leading contributor to carbon dioxide emissions which is bad for the planet. Cricket farming is better for the planet because it's not a big source of C02.

Business benefit

Cricket production is profitable. With a production capacity of 200 kilograms of crickets and 8 kilograms for cricket eggs, Bambang Setiawan is selling 1 kg of crickets for Rp 45,000-Rp 50,000, while eggs are more expensive. For a variety of natural crickets, the price is Rp 350,000 to Rp 400,000 per kg, while the price of eggs varies up to Rp 325,000 per kg. That does not include the sale of eggs from crickets for breeding. In total, Bambang could make a turnover of up to Rp 500 million per month.

Social and environmental benefit

By this Cricket chips, company is increasing community life welfare, beside community development company also doing environment conservation in regards to produce alternative protein for human being.

1. The business conducts mandatory monthly social gatherings for workers to set aside Rp 200rb / month of their salary each year. The workers receive lots to buy construction materials to help build better homes and make home improvements. The purpose is to help workers upgrade their homes and lifestyles.
2. The company also requires workers to save Rp1,000 / kg during harvest. Each time there's a harvest, workers set aside Rp 1,000 / kg crickets or egg harvesting crickets for later in the year when it's distributed to workers. The program aims to provide a better cash flow in terms of short-term savings to improve the workers lives.
3. Every month the company educates employees about financial regulations and how to save and spend money wisely. Workers are taught how to manage family finances for the short term, medium term, and long term. From this educational assistance program, it's expected to improve the workers' savings and lifestyles in the village of Bakung Kidul, and help them build a better future.
4. Compared with animal protein sources, crickets need much less water to produce as many grams of protein as in chicken or beef. In one study, crickets only need as much as 1 gallon of water, vs. 8 gallons of water to produce the same unit of protein in cows. That's significant water conservation by raising crickets.
5. In producing the protein in the same unit, crickets only need natural foods. Drugs are often added to feed for chickens and cattle production to produce larger meat content. Food laced with drugs contributes to environmental pollution. Also, food not consumed (wasted) by chicken and cattle production pollutes the environment. Crickets only consume natural foods and don't pollute the surrounding environment.

Interview

Bambang Setiawan ST, Founder