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Crickets?
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iminy Cricket!” We often hear this as an expression of surprise. Well, the saying rings true in many ways for a small dog food business by the name of Jiminy’s—it’s quickly becoming known for using a rather unconventional ingredient: crickets. You heard that right...crickets are the protein of choice for this company focused on reducing your dog’s carbon footprint (and keeping them healthy in the process)! By replacing traditional beef and chicken protein with crickets, Jiminy’s is helping to save the planet while keeping your dog’s vital health needs in check. As a protein, crickets score above 80 in digestibility studies in dogs (qualifying crickets as high quality) and are 10 petcompanionmag.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF JIMINY’S
free from common pathogens that plague the meat industry. Understanding the benefits of a cricket-based diet will certainly help banish our fears of feeding insects to our dogs, won’t it? Yes, says Anne Carlson, the mastermind behind Jiminy’s. Her personal story is deeply intertwined in this amazing company. Carlson’s background was in business, so entering the pet food industry was a diversification of her previous portfolio of work. When asked what inspired her to enter the market, Anne replied, “First off, never dive into the water without checking first! My inspiration for Jiminy’s came directly from my daughter. She wasn’t sure she wanted to have children because of the worsening environment. This hit me hard, as I’d love to have a grandchild someday. It prompted me to look closely at
the pet industry to see how we could do better. Despite the hundreds of foods and treats on the market, none of them addressed sustainability and climate change. These are the two biggest problems facing the planet, and they threaten our survival. I knew right away this is the path the pet industry absolutely needs to follow. Luckily, I have the right skill set to get in front and, hopefully, illustrate one way we can go.” With her passion to be eco-conscious in mind, Anne set out to change the industry. She was pitched the idea to create a pet food brand with grass-raised beef; but, while it did promise more sustainability, Anne wanted to take it a step further. “I countered with the idea of using cricket protein and laid out the numbers on how the planet’s going in a bad direction
