Chavira Ochoa is passionate about crickets—to eat. “It’s a no-brainer: Cricket protein is a superfood,” she says. “The only problem we face is the stigma behind consuming bugs. It’s time for us to change our habits and diets and move toward a more sustainable and nutrient-rich path.”

During her senior year, Chavira Ochoa and fellow students developed a test product—cricket-based bouillon cubes, which she says add a nutty umami flavor to broth served on ramen. They pitched their startup cricket food company at an on-campus entrepreneurship challenge the same year and won first place for their emphasis on promoting sustainability and fighting malnutrition.

The Dickey Center later awarded Chavira Ochoa a $25,000 postgraduate Lombard Fellowship public service grant to develop cricket food products. She works as an analyst at Sustainable Food Group, a biotech research firm in Mexico City focused on insect farming and processing, to learn more about crickets and food packaging. She plans to launch her own company in New York City later this year. 

“Her enthusiasm for what she is building, paired with her ability to balance rolling up her sleeves with having a vision and plan, is a unique combination required at the very early stages,” says Amy Hudson, Tu’11, a startup expert who has mentored Chavira Ochoa since they met early last year.