Within months after the opening of the world's largest insect factory, Protix has attracted investor Rabo Corporate Investments as shareholders. The capital from Rabobank's investment franchise will enable the scale-up of the production of insects in the Netherlands and will accelerate the roll-out of its international expansion.

Protix breeds larvae from the black soldier fly and processes them into sustainable ingredients like proteins and lipids. These nutrients are used as nutritious, high added value ingredients for animal and fish feed, and are more sustainable ingredients than soy or fishmeal.

International expansion

In June 2019, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands opened the new innovative insect factory developed by Protix in Bergen op Zoom, in which more than €40 million has been invested. The opening allowed production to increase rapidly, which prepared Protix for international expansion to strengthen its leading frontrunner position worldwide. "We want to reinforce our international leadership position in this new industry," said Kees Aarts, founder and CEO of Protix. "A 'Global Technology with Local Impact' aligns with our vision to strive for a food system in balance with nature worldwide," Aarts said.

Joost Vogels, investment manager of Rabo Corporate Investments, said that "Protix offers a solution to two major challenges: how do we sustainably produce enough food for a fast-growing global population and how do we reduce food waste throughout the supply chain. Rabobank Group has been involved with Protix since its founding more than ten years ago. We are proud that they have become a global leader in insect production and Rabo Corporate Investments looks forward to supporting them in their international expansion plans."