Key Takeaways
- Protix and Tyson Foods announce a two-fold strategic investment to bolster the insect ingredient industry.
- Tyson Foods acquired a minority stake in Protix to fund its global expansion.
- A joint venture will establish the U.S.’s first at-scale insect ingredient facility, focusing on upcycling food manufacturing byproducts.
- The facility will primarily serve the pet food, aquaculture, and livestock industries.
- Both companies aim to create high-quality, sustainable proteins and lipids through innovative technology.
Protix, a global leader in insect ingredients, and Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), one of the world’s largest food companies, have announced a strategic partnership that includes a two-fold investment. This collaboration aims to accelerate the growth of the emerging insect ingredient industry and create more efficient, sustainable proteins and lipids for global food systems.
Two-Fold Investment Strategy
Tyson Foods will acquire a minority stake in Protix through a direct equity investment, providing the necessary funds for Protix’s global expansion. This move combines Tyson Foods’ global scale, experience, and network with Protix’s technology and market leadership to meet current market demand and scale the production of insect ingredients.
First At-Scale Insect Ingredient Facility
In addition to the equity investment, Tyson Foods and Protix have entered a joint venture to operate and construct an insect ingredient facility in the continental United States. Upon completion, this will be the first at-scale facility of its kind. It will focus on upcycling food manufacturing byproducts into high-quality insect proteins and lipids, primarily for the pet food, aquaculture, and livestock industries.
A Sustainable Food System
John R. Tyson, the Chief Financial Officer of Tyson Foods, stated, “Our partnership with Protix represents the latest strategic investment by Tyson Foods in groundbreaking solutions that drive added value to our business. The insect lifecycle provides the opportunity for full circularity within our value chain, strengthening our commitment to building a more sustainable food system for the future.”
Accelerating International Growth
Kees Aarts, CEO of Protix, expressed excitement about the partnership, saying, “This agreement is a major milestone for Protix and significantly accelerates our ambition to grow through international partnerships. We can immediately use their existing byproducts as feedstock for our insects.”
Future Prospects
The upcoming facility will house an enclosed system to support all aspects of insect protein production, including breeding, incubating, and hatching insect larvae. Besides serving the aquaculture and pet food industries, processed larvae may also be used as livestock and plant feed ingredients.
Protix, operational since 2019, produces and processes 14,000 metric tons of LLE annually in its Netherlands facility. It serves major global companies in various industries, including pet food, aquaculture feed, livestock feed, and organic fertilizer, as the demand for insect ingredients grows.
Image provided by Protix
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