Entosense began with a question that most people in North America would have ignored.
In 2015, 13-year-old Sam Broadbent asked his father, Bill Broadbent, a simple but unusual question: Why don’t we eat bugs? Instead of brushing it off, Sam looked for answers. That research became the foundation of a family business focused on edible insects, sustainability, and food education.
How One Question Became a Business Idea
Sam’s research showed that eating insects was not strange on a global scale. Billions of people already included insects in their diets.
He also found three practical reasons insects deserved more attention as food:
- Nutrition: Insects can provide strong protein content.
- Sustainability: They need fewer resources than traditional livestock.
- Environmental impact: They generally create less waste and fewer emissions than many conventional protein systems.
That discovery changed the conversation from curiosity to opportunity. What started as a personal question soon looked like a real business concept.
How Entosense Was Founded
Bill and Susan Broadbent decided to build on Sam’s idea and launched Entosense in 2015.
The company began as a small family-run operation in Auburn, Maine. Its earliest days were modest. Entosense started in a barn on the Broadbent family property, giving it the kind of origin story often associated with hands-on, small-scale startups.
That early setup reflected the company’s practical mindset. The goal was not just to sell unusual food products. It was to introduce a different way of thinking about protein and sustainability.
What Entosense Set Out to Do
Entosense was created with a clear mission: to help make edible insects part of the daily diet in North America.
At the center of that mission is entomophagy, the practice of eating insects. The company presents it as a realistic alternative to conventional protein sources, especially for people thinking more carefully about food systems, nutrition, and environmental pressure.
Its broader vision connects three ideas:
- healthier protein options
- more sustainable food production
- better public understanding of edible insects
This gives Entosense a role that goes beyond product sales. It is also trying to shift consumer perception.
How the Company Expanded Its Reach
As the business grew, Entosense built its development around three connected platforms.
EntoMarket
EntoMarket serves as the company’s online marketplace. It gives consumers direct access to edible insect products through digital retail.
EntoVida
EntoVida focuses on wholesale distribution. This side of the business helps insect-based foods reach restaurants, retailers, and food service buyers.
EntoEducation
EntoEducation supports the awareness side of the company. It offers tools and materials that explain edible insects, their nutritional value, and their sustainability potential.
Together, these three platforms show that Entosense is not relying on one path alone. It is selling products, building distribution, and creating educational support at the same time.
What Entosense Sells
The company’s product range reflects both accessibility and experimentation.
Its offerings include:
- flavored cricket snacks
- raw edible insects for cooking
- novelty foods such as candy made with real insects
This mix helps Entosense appeal to different types of customers. Some may be interested in insects as a practical protein source. Others may first approach the category out of curiosity.
That range matters because consumer adoption rarely happens all at once. For many brands in emerging food categories, variety helps lower the barrier to entry.
Where Entosense Stands Today
Entosense remains a family-owned company and is now based in Lewiston, Maine.
Its core direction has stayed consistent since the beginning. The business still focuses on making insect-based protein more familiar and more accepted across North America. It continues to push that goal through three main channels: retail products, wholesale distribution, and education.
What makes the company notable is not just that it sells edible insects. It is that the idea began with a genuine question, was backed by research, and turned into a long-term effort to rethink what sustainable protein could look like.
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