Project 3: Bug Café (food truck)

Our project was to design a food truck that sells food or drink items based on recipes

made from insects. After we read the design brief our main task was to think, what type

of insects we encourage people to try? How do we make that insects into cuisine

interesting and exciting? How might we show that insects can be delicious?

We decided to create something which can attract children's and families with small

childrens. We did some research about what type of food families can enjoy, where our

location should be, what colors should we use, what type of logo design will be

appropriate etc. We got an idea about two food options: one was: Ice cream with

caterpillars and the other was: Healthy style drinks with caterpillars. Finally, as a group

we decided to create a food truck that sells ice cream mixed with caterpillars. We called

it CATIBITES. The location would be Los Angeles. We picked caterpillars as our insects

because they provide a lot of proteins.

Some elements that we used were simple shapes, colors, lines, size, etc… The design of

the food truck is playful, warming and eye-catching. It has bright pastels colors to stand

out in public. For our design it took time to decide which style to go with, at the

beginning we chose to go in one direction but it didn't work out. We tried so many

different ways to approach solving the problem, and we had so many ideas that we

didn't know if we were getting close or we were actually going back on the process.

For this project we used Illustrator and Photoshop programs to create the primary and

secondary logo and the food truck wraps.

The idea behind our design and food truck wrap is more to welcome people, especially

childrens, to make them feel like home while they enjoy a great delicious Cati-Bites ice

cream (caterpillar ice cream). In addition bright colors have been shown to increase

brand recognition up to 80%, and childrens are drawn to bright colors more than muted

ones. Our Goal for this project is to offer and show people that we can include bugs in

our diet, also we are trying to create funds for the company, and we believe that with our

logo design and food truck color and design choices we can meet those goals to

perfection.

● A new Danish research project aims to promote the widespread adoption

of insects in our diets by showing that bugs and grubs are not only good

for you, but are also delicious.

● Many scientists believe that bugs may soon become the most viable,

sustainable food source in the world. According to some entomologists,

insects are extremely high in protein and B vitamins, as well as minerals such

as iron and zinc. Insects are very low in fat and take up less space and

resources to raise for consumption, a plus when the demand for food is high

and the resources are low.

https://pestdefense.com/blog/delicious-critter-bugs-as-a-delicacy/

● Several projections have suggested that world population will reach over 9

billion by 2050 ( Grafton et al., 2015 ; Park and Yun, 2018 ). This increase in

population requires approximately double the current food production

( Belluco et al., 2013 ). Alarmingly, global warming is gradually decreasing the

areas used for food production worldwide ( Dobermann et al., 2017 ). Climate

change and the environmental destruction from industrial development also

negatively affect food productivity ( van Huis and Oonincx, 2017 ). In light of

worsening resource shortage, several foods have been proposed as

alternatives, with insects receiving the most attention ( Patel et al., 2019 ).

Insects are institutionally accepted as a food in many regions and historically

consumed ( Murefu et al., 2019 ), providing sufficient nutritional value for

humans ( Zielinska et al., 2018 ).

In summary, existing studies clearly demonstrate that insects are a promising

protein source for animal feeds and has the potential to meet increasing global

demand ( Rumpold and Schlüter, 2013b ).

Market Size & Trends

The U.S. ice cream trucks market size was valued at USD 1,480.0 million in 2022 and is

expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% from 2023 to 2030.

The rising number of concerts, festivals, and other large-scale events in the U.S. is

accelerating market growth. The increasing popularity of ice cream trucks at public and

private events has heightened the demand for ice cream trucks. Moreover, the consumer

demand for ice creams is constantly evolving, and manufacturers are expanding their

offerings with products that include exotic, organic, herbal, and functional ingredients. The

preference for reduced or no-fat dairy-based desserts and ice creams is also rising. These

factors are propelling the market growth.

In 2005, researchers at the Institute of Psychology in London scanned

people's brains as they were eating vanilla ice cream and found that just a

spoonful activated the same pleasure centers in the brain as winning money

or listening to a favorite piece of music. Based on this research we concluded

that using ice cream as a bait to include the caterpillar and people will think

that the bug is the one that makes it feels like that.

As the birthplace of the modern food truck craze, one would expect Los Angeles

to top the list of the best cities for food trucks in America. If you’re wondering

where to get the best food truck food, Los Angeles may still be the answer.

Los Angeles doesn’t impose a lot of restrictions on where food trucks can

operate. While food trucks cannot vend on public property, private lots are

prevalent and there are few proximity restrictions for operating around schools

and public parks. On the whole, Los Angeles has embraced the food truck

market as a key element in its culture.

Caterpillars are high in proteins, as well as amino acids, calcium, and essential fatty

acids. It contains 14% of protein, much like beef. The caterpillar can be a solution to

protein-energy malnutrition, and a crucial ingredient in complementary feeding of young

children.