Friday, July 18, 2014
Story by ANNE GLAUSSER
When you are hungry, do you reach for potato chips or peanuts? What about a handful of crickets? One daring entrepreneur in Youngstown is bucking the “yuck” factor and opening the first U.S. farm to grow insects exclusively for human consumption.
An old rundown warehouse in Youngstown is the perfect place, says Kevin Bachhuber, to grow crickets.
“So these are our babies,” he says. “They’re actually hardening up right now.”
Bachhuber is a proud father. He is the owner of Big Cricket Farms which operates out of this warehouse. The crickets live in big black square tents that sit right on the warehouse floor. Inside the tents are bright lights, an interior like tin foil and stacks of Rubbermaid tubs.
Crack a lid on one of those tubs and you will find cricket city.