grocers such as Walmart and Harps Food Store. Austin Simpkins (left) & Quinn Simpkins (right) After the Popper became a success, the brothers decided to create a protein-rich candy to supplement their active lifestyle–thus the discovery of the Chirpee. This is a chocolate covered peanut butter square with an active ingredient of cricket flour. “We really like the trend of highprotein, sustainable options like cricket flour,” said Austin. Cricket flour is a powder made from crickets using various processes. Cricket flour differs from true flours made from grains by being composed mainly of protein rather than starches and dietary fiber. “A lot of food has so many processed ingredients, and we wanted to make food that tasted good and is still good for you,” said Quinn. They also have begun to create a line of peanut butters, using olive oil as an alternative to other more saturated oils such as palm oil. “When we are looking at making new products we think ‘How can we come in and disrupt this category of food.’ We are doing that by using cricket flour in our chocolate and olive oil in our peanut butter,” said Austin. All ingredients used in their products are U.S.-sourced. They aim to provide a great taste with an affordable price. “The business has truly drawn our family closer, and they really appreciate seeing how hard we work at it,” said Austin. Although they are no longer producing in grandma’s kitchen, Quinn says grandma still comes by to help and make sure they are doing it right. 38 ARKANSAS GROWN
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