The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Fife entrepreneur to set dog tails wagging with bug biscuits
WORMIT: Ross Lamond believes his product, made from crickets, is a UK first
Dog treats made out of insects will be hopping into the shopping baskets of pet lovers after the launch of a new business venture.
Bug Bakes, healthy snacks made out of ground crickets, oat flour, root vegetables and other all-natural organic ingredients, have been created by Ross Lamond, from Wormit. The 23-year-old believes the biscuits are a UK first.
He said: “According to the Pet Food Manufacturing Association the pet snack industry is worth in excess of £434 million and growing year-on-year.
“From my research I discovered there were no treats being manufactured for dogs using insect protein in the UK.
“That gap in the market gave me the inspiration I needed to produce my own biscuits using cricket powder.
“Not only are the insects nutritionally dense, they produce far less greenhouse gas and require minimal space, water and feed when compared with traditional farmed livestock.
“They can even be fed from a wide variety of food waste so their impact on the environment is minimal.”
Ross contacted pet food producers across the country with the help of Business Gateway but realised he would have to make the biscuits himself.
After sourcing human grade organic certified cricket flour from Entomo Farms in Canada, it took more than three months to create his unique recipe. Each batch was tested on his late pet, Lyra, a Leonberger dog.
The product was then tested on nearly 100 dogs, with the majority giving a wag of approval.
He added: “Although she hated the first ones I made, she loved the ones I now sell.
“After she passed away late last year I wanted to pay tribute to her life and the huge part she played in helping me create Bug Bakes and that’s why she features on the packaging which I designed myself.”
Shona Morrison, from Business Gateway Fife, said: “Ross has big plans for his business and hopes to secure 50 stockists before the end of the year so he can move production out of the kitchen in his family home and into an industrial unit.
“He would then look to take on staff.”
Not only are the insects nutritionally dense, they produce far less greenhouse gas and require minimal space, water and feed. ROSS LAMOND