There are so many people we want to chat with to bring you all the latest in the Ento World, and one or two guests per week on the podcast just isn’t enough of a platform on which to do that. So we will also be bringing you good old fashioned written interviews.
But just because they are a written interviewee, it does not allow them to get out alive without facing “The Fast Five”!
Our first written interview is with Lorenzo Pezzato of 21Bites and L’Entomofago in Italy. L’Entomofago tranlates to “The Entomophagy” and for those of you who may not be familiar with the term “Entomophagy”, it is just the fancy word for the human practice of dining on insects.
Then again, I think by virtue of your arrival here at this particular spot in the Ento Nation universe, I think it is safe to say that you are already quite familiar with the term. 🙂
Let’s get on with the interview…
Lorenzo Pezzato is the Director of L’Entomofago and 21Bites, the first European e-commerce dedicated to edible insects and other novel foods.
EN: What made you decide to get into bugs as food?
I’ve always been interested in new things, new ideas and new businesses. I’ve got a journalism background so the first time I stumble upon an article talking about edible insects I was immediately fascinated by this novelty and I started to surf the web looking for other infos.
So, it wasn’t a real decision, I got into the issue incidentally. It was in 2014.
EN: Tell us about L’Entomofago, how did it get started? What is its purpose?
After I first saw that article I was sure I could also find a magazine specialized on edible insects, but I was wrong. I found some blogs and a lot of scientific papers, but nothing that could look like a review or a magazine. I’m a journalist, what else could I do different from founding the first?
A couple of months to set up the project and L’Entomofago was online with the purpose to became a serious, authoritative and multilingual information media on edible insects, altrenative proteins and novel foods.
Today we have 7 collaborators/contributors and recently we started to translate the main articles in chinese, to build a bridge toward that enormous future market.
EN: Tell us about 21Bites.
L’Entomofago gave me the opportunity to get in touch with experts, scientists and entrepreneurs all around the world and to build a network of friendiships. Then I met Davide Rossi, that’s now my partner in Fucibo Ltd, and we understand the necessity for the customers to find a place on the web where to buy the best and safest made-in-EU entoproducts.
We studied the market a lot and we selected what we think are the best companies in Europe. The aim was to be the first qualified ecommerce in the Continent, with the idea to enlarge our range of products to other novel or new foods as spirulina, seaweed, microalgae, moringa, canapa, etc.
We’re really satisfied, we opened in October 2017 and things are going every day better: a lot of media interest, a lot of customers interest, a considerable volume of sellings…the future is bright!
EN: What does the future of L’Entomofago and 21Bites look like, what are you plans for expanding?
L’Entomofago will continue to spread journalistic informations on the industry of alternative, sustainable foods, to keep on doing the good job we’ve done to date.
21bites has a clear purpose for the next years: keep on growing healthy and strong to be the gate to Europe for the best selection of entoproducts from all over the planet, and the gate to the rest of the world for the best made-in-Eu entoproducts as well.
One of our main projects is to bring to the international markets the first 100% made-in-italy insects raw materials and products, an extraordinary gamma with our own brand. We’re working on this partnering with the best italian producers, and we’ll be ready soon.
EN: How do you think Western society can overcome the “ick factor” when it comes to eating insects? Or do you think that is even possible?
We’re not worried about that, we strongly believe that this is the time to invest to give to interested and curious consumers the best products and services. We prefer to focus on that small (but really very large for a niche market) part of the consumers that are ready to join the revolution…the others will follow! It’s just a matter of mindset change, because insects have a great taste and consuming them is good for our health and our planet.
EN: Ok, Lorenzo…Noone gets out alive until they take…the FAST FIVE…
Bungee Jump or Skydive?
Skydiving, because I prefer fly through the sky instead that falling down like a rock.
Star Wars or Star Trek?
None of them. In this historical time we’d better look to what we’re causing to our planet than dream of a future in the space.
Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?
Harry Potter, because I think we should give our sons the magical powers he has in the movies, so that they can fix what we’re destroying.
Baked or Fried?
Baked, it’s healtier.
Steven Spielberg or David Lynch?
David Lynch. Twin Peaks impressed me much more than E.T.!
EN: Ding! Ding! Ding! Winner, winner, Leland Palmer rocks the Hayward House dinner!
