Iowa’s Newest Delicacy Is…Crickets?

Say goodbye to trail mix and hello to crickets!

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An Ames-based company is quickly becoming a hub for creating an unusual type of snack.

Gym-N-Eat Crickets is an Iowa-based company that operates with the goal to "deliver a high-quality, highly sustainable source of protein from start-to-finish" and " produce finished products that not only taste delicious but that are packed with wholesome nutrition."

Gym-N-Eat Crickets raises Acheta Domesticus, or the Common House cricket. As the "Cricket Queen" Shelby explains these are not the same crickets that you would find inside of your garage.

This all started out with Shelby Smith who is originally from Ames. Smith was an athlete at a college in Philadelphia and ended up moving back to Iowa in 2017 to help out at her family's farm.

Her dad encouraged her during harvest to look into exploring "niche" farming. So naturally, she came to the decision to start harvesting/growing crickets.

Smith raises all of her crickets in Iowa through a network of growers who feed the insects a non-GMO insect blend.

If these snacks don't piques your interest already, they apparently have some great health benefits. They include:

• High in protein (60% by volume)
• High in calcium
• Low in fat
• High in iron
• Gluten-free

Gym-N-Eat Crickets offers multiple options for ALL of your cricket consumption needs. You can order all of their products online like:

• Dry Roasted Crickets
• 100% Cricket Powder
• Energy Bars
• Cricket Frass

For more information about how you can get a hold of these snacks make sure to check out the company's official website.