We spent five years talking to crickets.
It was worth it.
How it started
It all started with a thesis and a simple question: is it possible to produce high-quality protein without devastating the planet?
Marcello Reale, founder of AlphaFood, answered this question in the laboratories of the University of Camerino, where between 2018 and 2022 he studied the nutritional properties of Acheta domesticus, the house cricket.
Fifty kilograms of flour produced in the lab, dozens of tests, years of research.
The result? A certainty: the house cricket is one of the most efficient and sustainable protein sources in the world.
In 2023 AlphaFood officially became a business. Not because of trends. Not for marketing. But because science confirmed it.
Today we are a team of seven people with expertise ranging from animal husbandry to industrial engineering, from finance to digital marketing.
Every product that leaves our headquarters in Catania is the result of that first year of research and everything that came after.
What drives us
Science, not marketing
We don’t write “natural” on labels for show. Every ingredient has a functional reason. Cricket flour is not a gimmick: it’s complete protein, with all essential amino acids, produced with 2% of the water needed for beef.
Total transparency
We know exactly what’s in every product and where it comes from. Italian supply chain, certified traceability, no hidden ingredients. If we’re not sure about an ingredient, we don’t use it.
Made in Italy without rhetoric
We produce in Catania because it’s our home — not as an advertising claim. Our suppliers are selected in Italy and Europe. The packaging is being developed with CNR and Politecnico di Milano to be biodegradable by 2028.
Partners and recognition
Curious about what we eat?
Visit our shop and discover the products that come from all of this.
