Holy Locust!: Alternative protein that’s heaven sent

Mild flavour. A higher protein content and better feed conversion than other farmed animals. Plus, it’s already consumed by one billion people.  

But for Israeli-based Hargol FoodTech, it took divine intervention to get a product on shelf.  

Founder and CEO, Dror Tamir, shares how the evoke^AG. Startup Program alumni went from taste tests at evoke^AG. 2019 (where not many came back for seconds, admittedly) to a loyal following across the U.S., Europe and beyond. 

Q: You’re a self-described ‘serial food entrepreneur.’ Why locusts?

I’ve long had a vision to feed the hungry world with an alternative protein that is actually better than what we already have. Because many of the new alternatives are not. They’re not as tasty. They’re not healthier. And they’re not more sustainable. 

Locusts are.  

RELATED: Hargol showcase edible grasshoppers at evokeAG. 

Q: We’ve seen many alternative protein manufacturers come and go in the last few years, unable to get their cost of production down enough to compete with traditional meats. How do locusts stack up?

The locust feed conversion rate is amazing: 1.3 to 1, which means for every 1.3 kilograms of feed, you get one kilogram of product. That’s 20% higher than the most efficient farmed protein, chicken. And we use 100%, compared to just 50% of a chicken. 

But locusts eat fresh grass, which is about 30 times more expensive than dry feed. Since we graduated from the Startup Program, we’ve been working on a new genetic line that eat dry feed, as with chickens.  

Right now, we’ve got their diet to 90% dry feed. But by the time we get to 100%, our production costs will be two-thirds lower than chicken.   

No protein can compete with that.  

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Q: How many generations can you breed in a year?

In the wild, it’s one. But our breeding program takes us 30 days from hatching to harvest, so we achieve year-round production with 12 harvests per cage.  

Q: Now to the meaty part: Who’s eating them?

The ‘ick factor’ is a big challenge, especially in the developed world. But we found our early adopters. And they weren’t in the sports nutrition or supplement markets where we’d been looking.  

They were the believers, the religious market. 

Hargol FoodTech founder and CEO, Dror Tamir (left) joined a panel session at evoke^AG. 2019.

Q: Did that surprise you? How did that market reveal itself?

It was such a surprise, but it’s a great story!  

We’d been wanting to make an energy bar for the U.S. market, but in Israel, you can only manufacture with a kosher permit. Grasshoppers [editor’s note: there are 10,000 different species of grasshoppers. When grasshoppers swarm and change their social behaviour, their metabolism and their appearance, they are considered ‘locusts.’ Fourteen out of the 10,000 species of grasshoppers are defined as a locust] are the only insect approved in the Bible as kosher.  

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But to get the kosher permit, you need more than a mention in the Bible. You also need a tradition.  

And we are working with the only two approved kosher species. One is the migrating locust that you have in Australia. And the second is the desert locust.” 

Luckily for us, Jews that came from Yemen and Morocco brought the tradition of eating locusts. So, three years ago, the Chief Rabbinate (the supreme authority for Judaism in Israel) granted our permit.  

But then I started getting phone calls from rabbis, telling me, ‘Listen, you revived a lost 2,000-year-old Jewish tradition. This is your destiny.’ 

Now, I’m not religious, but I grew up in a kibbutz, so I know how important belief is. So, I decided to do more research and see if – as well as Christians and Jews – there was a market for Muslims. And I got another surprise: locusts are mentioned in the Quran as the food of Muhammad and his followers.  

That makes it the only insect approved in all three religious texts as food. 

Hargol FoodTech founder and CEO, Dror Tamir at evoke^AG. 2019.

Q: So, you’re marketing direct to religious consumers with a branded product?

Yes, as Holy Locust, Biblical Protein, which we launched into the U.S. during COVID. But again, we got a surprise.

Christian consumers were saying, ‘Listen, I heard the story about John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey on the banks of the Jordan River in Israel, and I want to eat the way he did.’ So, they started ordering jars of whole locusts, too.  

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I negotiated with the board to take over the Holy Locust brand and pursue the B2C opportunity, while Hargol FoodTech focused on the B2B. 

Q: What a founder’s story that is! How is the B2B side going?

There are a few targets we’ve explored. In the supplements and sports nutrition markets, we know we have a better product than what exists today. Locusts contain 72% protein, and with our new feed, it’s an incredible 78%. And it’s a raw, natural ingredient, not an ultra-processed one.  

We did some preliminary research in Israel with the Weitzman Institute and the Hebrew University, which confirmed locust is a much better protein for athletes, with 24 times more branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) than whey protein, the leading ingredient in that market. 

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But these markets are not led by ingredients. They’re led by brands. And we didn’t have the huge budget to invest in brand development and marketing, nor in clinical trials needed to convince consumers of the nutritional benefits.  

Dror Tamir, evoke^AG. 2019.

We’ve also looked at locust protein as a functional ingredient to upgrade the colour, texture, and flavour of processed meat products. Unlike plant protein that turns grey when you cook it, locust protein imparts a deeper reddish tone, like beef. And for every 1% locust protein we add to a chicken patty, for example, you gain 30% juiciness.  

With those benefits, we got into pilot projects with several meat producers, including one of the UK’s biggest retailers. But the challenge with retailers like that is they tend to lead on cost, not innovation. 

Q: I assume it’s the same with pet food? Cost is king?

Pet food is mostly a commodity market. Manufacturers will use an alternative protein source if it’s cheap, but an ingredient supplier shouldn’t start there. 

So, we went looking for companies that value pet health outcomes. And now we’re in our third clinical trial with the largest premium pet food company in the world, and we’re negotiating a global joint venture. 

Q: Exciting! You’re the world’s first and only commercial locust producer. Are you looking to accelerate the opportunity?

Yes! We’re looking for strategic investors from the protein industries to collaborate on our B2B offering, developing the finished product formulations, manufacturing, distribution, and so on.  

For the Holy Locust brand, we’re looking for distribution and marketing partners in Australia who can help us carry the brand to the U.S. and Asia.

China is an interesting market. Locust is known in Chinese traditional medicine, so consumers don’t need convincing.

And it aligns with market trends towards health and nutrition and online purchasing.  

So, there are great opportunities ahead. We’re looking for the right partner to help unlock them. 

If you’re interested in partnering with Hargol FoodTech, contact Founder and CEO, Dror Tamir at [email protected] 

Applications are now open for the Startup Program, offering 40 agrifood tech startups free passes to participate in Brisbane on 18-19 February 2025. Apply here by 27 October 2024.

To find out more about the AgriFutures evoke^AG. Startup Program visit evokeag.com/startups