Full name: Neil Whippey, Shami Radia
Role: Co Founders, Grub
DOB: 02/02/1982, 02/02/1982
Birthplace: London
Twitter Handle: @eatgrubofficial
Website: eatgrub.co.uk
Fun Fact (about them): Shami’s first taste of insects was on a trip with WaterAid in Malawi where he ate flying ants (termites) with chilli and lime
So, eating insects. For our readers not sold on the benefits, please tell us why you’re doing what you’re doing, and why you feel people should be eating insects? I was reading about you guys and I discovered all these new words, like ‘entomophagy’ & ‘insectpreneur’!
Ha, there are always new words and puns (like an idea with six legs) cropping up. Entomophagy isn’t so new – it’s ancient Greek for the practice of eating insects. I like to think Grub is behind the word insectpreneur.
There are so many reasons why we should be eating insects. Grub’s strap line: ‘Tasty. Nutritious. Sustainable.’ Sums it up nicely. There are not reasons not to be eating insects. They are literally good food, in every way. It’s cultural barriers that stop us here in the UK and the west from eating them and that’s exactly what Grub wants to change. We know it’s not going to be easy but we’re up for the challenge!
I heard the original idea for Grub came about when you guys had a chat at Neil’s 30th birthday party? What’s the journey been like since then? I’d imagine it has been difficult, but are you seeing any changes in public perception?
There’s been some ups and downs since we launched. The hard times are when we get our heads down and are trying to organise logistics, researching new markets and products; the best times and when we get to feed the public our insect products and dishes and see the enjoyment in the expressions. That’s what will keep us going. To try an insect is to enjoy one – we just need to reach as many people as possible.
What’s the most popular of your offerings so far?
We’ve just released a range of roasted cricket snacks this month (November 2015) and we have found the chillli and lime flavor to be unbelievably popular. We are also expecting our new Eat Grub Bar for which we launched a Kickstarter this week to be extremely popular as it is an easy entry into the world or entomophagy.
(…sorry)
How did you get chef Seb Holmes aboard, and how do you guys go about coming up with recipes and products?
Getting Seb on board was relatively easy. He’s an extremely talented and enthusiastic young chef and when we first met him (in a pub) we gave him a completely new ingredient – to the western word anyway – to cook with. For a chef, there is nothing more exciting.
It was finding the right chef that was the hard part. And we have Andy Oliver of Som Saa to thank for that.
Where do you source your insects? How does that even work anyway? I assume insect farms?
We are sourcing our insects from a farm in Holland that rears insects specifically for human consumption.
On that note Kickstarter tells me you plan on launching the ‘UK’s first cricket-for-food farm’ early next year – please tell us more!
We are currently working on a project called Entovista to rear crickets here in the UK. We are specifically looking at producing a cricket flour – a versatile high protein powder. Watch this space – it won’t be long now.
Which insect do you enjoy most? Any personal favourites?
My personal favourite is crickets and I’m not alone there. They are delicious, tasting like a nutty prawn.
I heard you were Wahaca’s Day of The Dead Festival recently making insect cocktails? Could you tell us a little about that?
Wahaca have been great at supporting entomophagy and Grub. Thomasina Miers and her team see why we should be eating insects as they do in Mexico and have worked closely with us including inviting us to take part in their Day of the Dead festival at Tobacco Docks. We were offering insect based cocktails, including Hopping (Grasshopper) Mojitos, and also showcasing and selling our roasted cricket range. It was a great success and great fun too.
What’s the difference in cooking with insects to cooking more ‘conventional’ meat? Along those lines, what do you actually classify insects as…meat?
It’s a tough one – they are animals so technically they are meat, but there are far more sustainable source of protein than our traditional livestock such as beef, pork and chicken.
They are very flexible to cook with: you can roast, fry, puree, and turn into salts and flours. In that respect they are far more versatile than our traditional meat sources.
You’re working on a cookbook, right? Could you tell us a little more about that?
Absolutely. It’s called ‘Eat Grub: The Ultimate Insect Cookbook’ and is out April 2016. We’ve got load of recipes and cooking methods and we hope it will show the world just how easy it is to cook and incorporate insects into our every day meals.
You’re also, as far as I know, going to be some of the first guys in the UK to produce a cricket flour bar (along the lines of Exo & Chapul in the US – though I believe Crobar have just beat you to the punch in the UK). Could you tell us about that? Personally I’d like to see some insect protein powders but it seems like the possibility for stuff like baking is nearly limitless!
We’re not the first in the UK but we hope to be the best! We’ve been working on the bar for a long time – we didn’t want to rush it to make sure it had the best chance of being a success and introducing lots of people to eating insects. We feel we’ve achieved that both in terms of the branding and the taste. We are looking for £10k to help us manufacture the bars and launched our Kickstarter on the 10th November – not long to go now if your readers want a box of our bars!
What’s a ‘day in your life’ like? Could you give us an insight into the world of Grub?
A day in the life of Grub is organised chaos. We are a small team trying to do a lot, so on a typical day we will be responding to emails, managing our social media, looking after our accounts, making sales and trying to come up with the next incredible insect based idea.
What’s your greatest/most memorable professional moment been, so far?
I think that has to be our first pop-up restaurant in March 2014. We put a lot of work into this event and essentially it was the first time we were introducing our idea and food to the public. It was make or break. It was received so well and because of that we’re still going today.
Where do you get your ideas?
It’s hard to say, but most of the time on the toilet. Ha, kidding, sort of. It’s never a ‘eureka moment’ – it’s more an iterative process where a small idea gets worked on by the team until we decide it’s a winner or loser.
What’s your philosophy, summed up in a sentence?
Insects should be taken seriously as a tasty, healthy and sustainable food source. It’s Grub’s mission to show the world just that.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had, how did you overcome it, and what did you learn from it?
Our biggest mission is to be taken seriously – as a respected brand and not just a gimmick. We’re still working on that but being stocked in Planet Organic and soon to be in Whole Foods shows that our brand and products are credible.
Who’s the person who’s most inspired you in your work – food industry or otherwise? Is there anyone that you draw inspiration or strength from? Do you have any specific culinary influences?
We always use sushi as an example of the direction we want eating insects to take. And I guess following on from that a hero has to be Simon Woodroffe, Founder of YO! Sushi. He packaged it in the right way, as an experience, and ultimately help get sushi where it is today.
What do you enjoy most and least about what you do?
Being the boss and seeing our products enjoyed. What we least enjoy is trying to sort out packing and packaging of our products.
What advice would you give to aspiring food entrepreneurs who’d want the kind of results that you’ve had?
If you have an idea that you want to follow through on, make sure you clearly define your brand proposition and audience. It will help you to stay focused and relevant.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing instead?
Shami would probably still be working in marketing for international charities and Neil as a sound engineer.
If you could get anyone to try your foods (fictional or real, living or dead) who would you pick and which of the foods would you like them to try? Assume that they go on to be your brand ambassador…
Bear Grylls – I know he eat insects already but they are live and we want to provide him with a slap up insect meal that tastes delicious
What’s your ultimate aim and goal for Grub? If you could achieve anything with it, what would you pick? Money and reality are no obstacle, so shoot for the moon…
We want to be the number one insect for food brand in the world. We want to credited with the world taking insects seriously as a tasty and sustainable source of protein.
Where next for you and the business?
2016 is going to be a huge year for 2016. We feel like it’s all coming together; we have the bar, the flour and our book coming out and are planning many events to promote it all. Busy but extremely exciting.
And we always ask three customary ridiculous questions…
If you were forced to live on one kind of alcohol for the rest of your life (assume that your metabolism becomes specifically adapted to use this as your sole source of calories, so you had to drink this to survive) – which would you pick, and why?
Mezcal Tequila, the original. You get tequila and a tasty, nutritious worm…
If you had to employ any character from Game Of Thrones to come and work with you guys at Grub, who would you pick, and why?
Tough. Probably Tyrion, mostly because he’s a bit of legend, but he also has a great mind for strategy and could help us take over the (insect-eating) world.
If you were given an infinite budget but had to spend it all on entirely frivolous stuff, what are the first 3 things you’d buy, and why?
Grub t-shirts – can you believe we still haven’t had any!? A state of the art of the kitchen to cook and come up with more products. And a personal assistant.