10075459Oko Box - Producing local, sustainable, food-grade protein using a novel cricket habitat and harvesting systemClosedGrant for R&DInnovate UKOko Box is a new food production system using a novel cricket habitat and harvesting process which provides local, sustainable, food-grade protein very cost-effectively. This project will help produce Oko's first main product, Oko Protein Powder with two valuable by-products - Omega oils, and frass (insect manure). The Oko Box concept has been prototyped and tested and has patents pending. The proposed scope of this project is the Oko Box's industrial design for ease of manufacture, manufacture of the first 2 Oko Boxes and prove the new business model to enable external investment to scale nationally and internationally. The novel design of the Oko Box is optimised to reduce the cost of labour and energy compared to the traditional methods and is deployed in a way that requires significantly less capital than the centralised industrial approaches adopted by others that have recently attracted sizeable investment. Companies have shown that demand exists and the market is proven. A wide spectrum of companies, large and small, have produced cricket protein products. Whilst various brands have enjoyed great success in generating sales, consistency of affordable supply of food grade crickets has restricted their growth. Once processes have been developed on a commercial level, our model will allow for copy and paste scaling, demonstrating to the world a better means of protein production globally.