One-third of the calories consumed in Mexico come from ultra-processed foods, which are rich in fats and sugars but contain low proportions of protein. Overweight and obesity as a result of these unhealthy food habits are common. Griyum is a social enterprise that addresses this health problem, while saving the environment.

Collaborating with a network of 25 rural sharecroppers, this social enterprise produces edible cricket-derived ingredients for brands that use them for developing complete nutrition foods. Consuming adequate proportions of healthy fats, sugars and proteins, as offered in foods that contain the cricket flour supplied by Griyum, contributes to a better diet and can prevent food-related health problems. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), edible insects provide one of the proteins with the greatest potential to solve food security problems by 2030. Produced at a low cost and without a dominant flavour, cricket flour can be used in a wide variety of foods, from bread and cookies to pasta, tortillas, and others.

Griyum works with farmers who produce edible crickets all year round, receiving an income eight times higher than they would with milk production. The social enterprise also provides them with technology, training, and assistance. Certified with the international FSSC 22000 certification for food safety management, Griyum offers an eco-friendly alternative to the high environmental impact proteins that are common in many everyday foods. The self-sustaining edible cricket farms avoid the use of huge quantities of water and the sacrifice of forests while preventing excessive CO2 emissions.

Programme support:

Griyum has been able to expand its business and impact over the past several years and has advanced in its lobbying efforts to push favourable insects regulation. Nevertheless, the social enterprise faces some longer-term challenges related to scalability and commercialization. The coaching, mentoring and support they will receive through the 2021 Mexico Accelerator will give them the tools to overcome these challenges.

Among others, the programme will improve their capacities to create more and better business-to-business (B2B) alliances and to effectively market their new product line in the consumer market. The Griyum team will also receive coaching and support to open new investment opportunities.