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MARKET KNOWLEDGE JUDE MARWA, CHIRPY BAKERS
Welcome to The Sherborne Market! What brings you here? I own a little company called Chirpy Bakers. We are here to convince people that eating insects is good for you, good for the planet and most of all…delicious!
full of essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, rich in iron and so much more. They are also harmless to the planet. They take up little space, require little resources but are really efficient at creating protein. My tag line is ‘Feeding the world without starving the planet’.
Where have you travelled from? Not far! I live in Thornford – just down the road.
What do you enjoy most about selling at markets? I love the social aspect. Market day has a great atmosphere and is the perfect place for interesting debates around eating insects… Can I eat them if I’m vegetarian? Is it ethical? Where do they come from? It’s a good conversation starter and I love this aspect of my stall. I also love seeing familiar faces. Having customers return is an amazing feeling. Chirpy Bakers is an educational company. I run sessions in schools and with scouts and guides, teaching about the benefits of insects. One of our best market days was just after we ran a session at Sherborne 1st Scouts. It was so exciting to see lots of the Scouts bring their families to the stall to try the brownies for themselves.
Tell us about what you’re selling? I sell food products made with cricket flour. It’s something that usually needs a bit of an explanation! Our range of products is quite small as we know we have some persuading to do. So, we are helping everyone get over the ‘euw’ factor with delicious chocolate brownies and chocolate chip cookies. For those people who need no more persuasion and want more sustainable protein in their life, we have premixed bags to bake your own brownies at home – a perfect way to get protein into the packed lunch box! We also sell pure cricket flour for those ready to experiment a bit more - this can be added to smoothies, omelettes or any meal really - and is a simple way to get your sustainable source of daily protein. Where and when did it all begin? I lived in South East Asia for seven years, working as a primary school teacher. Insects in that part of the world are a common staple in diets. After going to a really cool tapas bar in Siem Reap where we ate red ant spring rolls, tarantula tempura and silkworm salad, I started to read about the benefits of eating insects. The more research I did, the more I was amazed. In terms of nutrition and sustainability, they are the superhero of food. 79% protein, 30 | Sherborne Times | March 2022
If you get the chance, which fellow stallholders here at Sherborne would you like to visit? I love all the interior design stalls. We are renovating our house at the moment so I dream about being ready to buy cushions and lampshades. And I never leave without a sourdough from Oxfords. Where can people find you on market day? On Digby Road, opposite Tamburinos. I love this pitch. I can see and hear the Abbey, and the amazing food from the stalls in Pageant Gardens are close by. chirpybakers.com
