Water is Pat’s passion, and he has dedicated himself to the mission of ensuring that future generations will have a sustainable source of fresh water. As our growing population increases the demand for water, we are increasing our reliance on a diminishing supply of available water.
Pat has served as a whitewater rafting guide on the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon. For thousands of years, this river has been revered as literal life blood to many civilizations. Sadly, this magnificent river no longer even flows to the ocean like it once did, but is quickly drying up by field after field of high water-use crops, in the middle of the desert.
At Chapul, we believe that the solution to this ongoing crisis is to look towards our ancestors-the native cultures of the American West and Mexico-and to begin incorporating healthy, environmentally sustainable insect protein into Western diets.
The majority of the freshwater resources in the Western U.S. go to agriculture, with the majority of that being used for livestock production. Insects, however, are incredibly efficient at converting plant matter into a very healthy source of protein for humans, while emitting very few greenhouse gasses and requiring little land resources.
Insects are currently eaten in more than 60% of countries around the globe, and the only reason that people in the U.S. don’t do it is purely psychological-very similar to what people how sushi was viewed in the U.S. before the 1970’s.
In addition to raising support via Kickstarter in 2012, Pat went on to secure a deal with Mark Cuban on NBC’s Shark Tank and interest in Chapul Cricket Protein Bars skyrocketed!
Since igniting a food revolution almost 10 years ago, Patrick has become an international speaker on biodiversity, water conservation, and insect farming in addition to speaking from multiple TEDx and university stages.
Chapul has pivoted from making our own bars to providing customers like you with our signature cricket protein powder for your own uses! We deeply believe that if we can shift even a fraction of our protein consumption to environmentally friendly, healthy and delicious insects, we can make a SIGNIFICANT impact on making our water footprint smaller. And perhaps, one day, the flow of the mighty Colorado River will return to the sea once again.
