Today we’d like to introduce you to Eli Halpern.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Golden Cricket started with a simple idea: protein could be healthier, more sustainable, and still taste great. I became fascinated with cricket protein because of its nutritional profile—it’s a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids and is naturally rich in nutrients like B12, iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc—while requiring a fraction of the resources used by traditional protein sources.
The biggest challenge was obvious: most Americans hear “crickets” and immediately think of eating whole bugs. So the goal became creating something that completely changed that perception. We use crickets that are prepared and ground into a fine powder and incorporate them into a protein bar that looks and tastes like a normal bar—no crunching on bugs.
From there, Golden Cricket grew into an Austin-based brand focused on making sustainable protein approachable rather than just a novelty. We developed our protein bars around simple ingredients like peanut butter, dates, chocolate, banana, oats, and cricket powder, and have since expanded into cricket-based protein powder as well.
Today, the mission is still essentially the same as when we started: make something genuinely delicious and nutritious while showing people that the future of protein can use dramatically fewer resources. If we can get someone who initially says, “There’s no way I’m eating crickets” to try a bar and actually love it, we’ve done our job.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – the hardest parts are technical difficulties. Slow WiFi, loading screens, broken websites. There’s nothing more frustrating than wanting to work and not being able to. That might have been one of the biggest lesson for me, it’s not just about all the work that needs to be done, but also all of the setup required so that you are capable of working. Of course manufacturer screw ups can be a headache but you always have the ability to either communicate or replace them. However, if your computer isn’t working, you can’t do much of anything.
As you know, we’re big fans of Interdimensional Temple. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I created a religion where I’ve essentially combined everything I’ve learned from studying ancient civilizations and quantum physics and wrote a cohesive 10 page document detailing my findings. It is a registered 501c3 that I am aiming to use to build community and promote creativity in the near future. You can read this at interdimensionaltemple.com and click Philosophy. To summarize, we believe God is a holographic fractal matrix made of love energy that jingles matter into existence through vibrating shapes of sound.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is creating something that has a positive impact while still being something people genuinely want. Sustainability is obviously a huge part of Golden Cricket, but I don’t think people should have to sacrifice taste, nutrition, or convenience to make a more sustainable choice.
I also really value challenging people’s assumptions. Cricket protein sounds strange to a lot of people at first, and I love watching someone go from being completely skeptical to trying it and realizing they actually like it. There’s something rewarding about taking an idea people initially think is crazy and proving that it can work.
Ultimately, I want to build things that push culture forward, even if they seem unconventional at first. If Golden Cricket can make sustainable protein more mainstream while creating a great product in the process, that’s something worth pursuing.
Pricing:
- 2lb Horchata protein $70
Contact Info:
- Website: https://goldencricket.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/goldencricketinc
- Twitter: https://x.com/GoldenCricketP
- Other: https://interdimensionaltemple.com
