After years of working as a mission supervisor within the public sector, Greta Budreikė spent the 2020 pandemic lockdown exploring new concepts at residence.
Someplace in that search, she got here throughout the thought of farming bugs for meals. It wasn’t an apparent path for somebody with no background in meals or agriculture, however she couldn’t cease desirous about it.
She discovered that cricket protein was extremely nutritious, environmentally sustainable, and nonetheless largely untapped within the client market, which appeared like an actual enterprise alternative.
Her husband, Vaidas Budreika, was together with her within the journey, seeing the identical alternative and deciding to determine all the things out collectively.
That was the preliminary concept that made them construct TASTIK – a Lithuanian model that sells insect-based meals merchandise, comparable to dried crickets, cricket flour, protein pasta, and snack bars, designed to suit naturally into on a regular basis meals.
The identify itself displays the corporate’s imaginative and prescient: to attach numerous flavors, merchandise, and experiences right into a single idea. She needs to introduce the concept insect protein isn’t one thing to concern, nevertheless it’s an ingredient that may create pleasurable, acquainted flavors.
Convincing folks to see it that method, nevertheless, has been the corporate’s greatest problem.
Constructing not solely a brand new model, but in addition a brand new market
When Greta first got here throughout the thought of consuming crickets, she had the identical response many individuals nonetheless do right this moment. “At first, it felt uncommon, even a bit scary,” she recollects.
That private journey grew to become one in every of TASTIK’s greatest enterprise classes. Even her family was skeptical when she first shared the thought.
However her curiosity gained. The extra she researched, the extra satisfied she grew to become that insect protein wasn’t only a novelty – it was nutritious, sustainable, and a real alternative to rethink how we eat protein.
So she took the leap, with Vaidas alongside her – establishing the insect farm collectively and dealing via trial and error to get the merchandise proper.
On the identical time, they’ve been effectively conscious that constructing TASTIK meant doing two issues directly: creating merchandise folks would take pleasure in and serving to them overcome their hesitation.
“I need them to grasp that that is actual meals,” Greta says. “That insect protein is nutritious, secure, and one thing that may turn into a part of on a regular basis meals.”
Greta and Vaidas attempt to shift folks’s notion of insect protein via in-person expertise: tastings, occasions, and one-on-one conversations the place hesitation turns into curiosity.
Their on-line presence comes into play as that belief begins to take maintain, giving folks a straightforward method to hold shopping for as soon as they’ve made up their thoughts – and for a lot of, it’s a pure subsequent step after the in-person dialog, or a method to hold making the case at their very own tempo.
That perception now shapes each a part of TASTIK’s on-line presence.
Beginning small, rising steadily
TASTIK’s first orders got here via Fb. Greta launched the product on the social media channel whereas the web site was nonetheless in progress.
Behind the scenes, she was working with a developer she trusted to deliver the location to life – whereas she and her husband dealt with a lot of the web site content material.
Round six months later, she launched the web site, regardless that the images weren’t prime quality, the optimization wasn’t the place it wanted to be, and the copy nonetheless wanted work.
“I typically felt not absolutely happy with the consequence. It felt like one thing was at all times lacking,” she recollects. “However even with that feeling, I knew it was necessary to begin and enhance step-by-step.”
Because the enterprise grew, the web site grew to become a serious communication channel via which Greta and Vaidas might inform the total story of edible bugs.
However after a while, Greta observed that guests spent extra time looking the web store than studying weblog posts or recipes. She discovered that product pages had been the place she might handle prospects’ hesitation as they determined whether or not to strive one thing unfamiliar.
With that perception, she targeted on making that first interplay approachable, easy, and intriguing sufficient to earn a primary buy. Scientific information and sustainability claims are stored out of the image to keep away from overwhelming prospects.
“Probably the most rewarding half is seeing folks change,” she says. “At first, they’re not sure and even afraid. However after making an attempt it, they turn into curious. That second when their opinion shifts is probably the most highly effective for me.”
When progress uncovered the cracks
After the launch, round 30-40% of TASTIK prospects got here via the web site, whereas the remaining found the model via social media and in-person occasions.
Sadly, the web site couldn’t deal with the visitors. Pages loaded slowly. The consumer expertise wasn’t nice.
And that web site efficiency instability was costly. “If the web site hundreds slowly or one thing will get caught, the client could merely go away with out shopping for,” Greta says.
To handle these points, Greta and Vaidas agreed emigrate TASTIK’s web site to Hostinger’s managed internet hosting for WordPress.
The plan contains built-in efficiency optimization, like server-side caching and a content material supply community (CDN), designed to maintain pages loading quick and reliably, at the same time as visitors grows.
Since then, the technical points that had beforehand demanded fixed consideration have turn into uncommon. Pages loaded sooner, and checkout grew to become dependable. The web site developer now spends much less time on upkeep than when the web site was hosted with the earlier supplier.
A web site that grew to become a progress engine for TASTIK
The improved web site efficiency translated into measurable enterprise progress. Immediately, round 70% of TASTIK’s prospects come via the web site, up from 30-40% within the early days.
Common order worth elevated by an estimated 30-50% as prospects might browse and full purchases extra simply, whereas the share of returning prospects grew from round 10-20% to 20-30%.
TASTIK has additionally expanded internationally, transport to Latvia, Estonia, Germany, the UK, and Eire, with most abroad prospects at present being Lithuanians dwelling overseas. Of their long-term plan, they intention to develop that viewers additional.
To help that growth, Greta shared that TASTIK’s web site developer depends on instruments inside the Hostinger ecosystem.
One instance is an expert enterprise electronic mail, which helps the model current itself persistently and construct credibility when sending newsletters or promotional campaigns.
The web site has advanced past a web based store into the central hub for TASTIK’s merchandise, advertising, and model. “With out the web site, progress can be a lot slower and extra restricted,” she says.
The street forward for TASTIK
Greta launched her enterprise whereas all the things wasn’t good. She’s glad she didn’t wait.
Requested for recommendation she’d give different small enterprise house owners, Greta shared one thing that would simply as simply apply to her personal youthful self: “Begin easy, however begin early. Don’t wait till all the things is ideal. Your first web site will most likely not be good, and that’s regular.”
For Greta, TASTIK’s web site is rarely actually completed. It grows with the enterprise – formed by how prospects behave, what they should know, and the place the model is headed subsequent.
The subsequent chapter for Greta and Vaidas with TASTIK is worldwide progress, a wider product vary, and persevering with the gradual, regular work of constructing insect protein really feel like a traditional, on a regular basis alternative.
“My mission is to make various protein easy and regular for on a regular basis use. I need folks to see it not as one thing unusual, however as an actual meals possibility,” she says.
One order, one curious buyer at a time.
Larassatti Dharma is a content material author with 4+ years of expertise within the hosting trade. She has populated the web with over 100 YouTube scripts and articles round hosting, digital advertising, and electronic mail advertising. When she’s not writing, Laras enjoys solo touring across the globe or making an attempt new recipes in her kitchen. Observe her on LinkedIn
