Ÿnsect acquired Protifarm, a mealworm producer for human applications. Their joint offering will accelerate manufacturing capabilities with a third production site, as the company moves to deliver on its long-term strategy to offer a natural, healthy and long-term sustainable solution to the accelerating consumption of protein. 

Following the European Food Safety Authority deeming mealworms safe for human consumption in January 2021, Ÿnsect is fast-tracking its impact in the alternative protein sector, by expanding into the market of food ingredients derived from insects. In addition to its sites in France, the company now expands internationally with the integration of Protifarm, a Dutch Agtech company with a production site based in Ermelo. This solidifies the company’s position as the world’s largest player in insects for food and feed.

“We are very excited to welcome Protifarm into our family. Protifarm is a compelling strategic fit for Ÿnsect, perfectly matching our long-term goals and sustainability values. Acquiring Protifarm is a strategic next step for us, strengthening Ÿnsect’s leading position in the global market and allowing us to properly address the human food and pet-food markets with complementary products,” explained Antoine Hubert, co-founder and CEO of Ÿnsect.

The Dutch state-of-the-art vertical farm and processing facility produces more than 1,000 metric tons of food ingredients annually, aiming to expand the facility to 20,000 metric tons of insect-derived ingredients to feed humans, pets and plants. With two Ÿnsect production sites in operation and one under construction, the result is an increase in volume and an acceleration of production and delivery to customers in the short- and medium-term. This will represent a total capacity of over 230,000 metric tons of ingredients per annum.