Today, farm animals consume 20% of the world’s protein, in direct competition with human consumption, while fish, water and soil resources are dwindling. Paris-based startup Ÿnsect has the answer: indoor insect farming. A pioneer in the field, this B Corp uses advanced technologies to breed mealworms and process them to produce high-quality proteins for livestock, pet food, and fertilizers. Furthermore, the company is currently building the world’s largest, most technological, and carbon-negative vertical farm globally. In this episode, we speak to the company's Business Development Director, Guillaume Daoulas, about the insect revolution, its past, present, future, and impact.
About Guillaume Daoulas
Guillaume Daoulas is the Business Development Director of Ÿnsect, an innovative company producing premium ingredients from insects. With a fully automated process, Ÿnsect uses insects to bio-convert organic substrates, such as cereal byproducts, and transform those insects into sustainable and premium nutrient resources for feed, food, and crop fertilizer. Guillaume Daoulas dedicated his last 10 years to innovative, healthy, and sustainable ingredients to reinvent the food chain.
Cofounder and president of the association “Fishermen around the world”, he has been studying traditional fishing and aquaculture in 12 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America in partnership with private and public structures, NGOs, and politics. He published a book in 2015 at “De La Martinière publishing” to share stakes of traditional fishing and give a voice to fishermen and fish farmers around the world
About Ÿnsect
Ÿnsect is the world leader in the production of protein and natural insect fertilizers. Founded in 2011 in Paris, France, by both scientists and environmental activists, Next40 and B Corp-certified, the company processes insects into high-end, high-value ingredients for pets, fish, plants and humans. From its purpose-built state-of-the-art farms, Ÿnsect offers a long-term, sustainable, organic solution to accelerate protein and plant consumption. Ÿnsect uses pioneering proprietary technology covered by 341 patents across 41 categories, to produce lesser and yellow mealworms in fully automated vertical farms. Ÿnsect runs two production sites, one in Dole, France (commissioned 2016), one in the Netherlands (2017), and a third site, the world's largest vertical farm, in Amiens in France, is currently under construction. The company, which employs 250 people, has raised around $ 425 million from major global investment funds, banks and public bodies and exports its products around the world.