Insect meal producer, Entobel, partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to scale up its operations in Vietnam. As part of a long-term collaboration agreement that includes early-stage project development support, IFC will support Entobel’s expansion in Vietnam and the region.
Based in Singapore, Entobel is one of the very few players already producing insect ingredients at a commercial scale from black soldier fly. The company is currently building Asia’s largest insect plant to date in Vung Tau province, Vietnam, which will supply 10,000 metric tons of insect meal annually to local and international aquafeed and pet food-producing customers. The construction is on schedule and the first commercial sales are expected later this year.
“We are impressed by Entobel’s operations in this innovative industry, which can provide a sustainable high-protein alternative to wild-caught fish used in aquafeed. Reaching scalable levels of production will help protect marine ecosystems and reduce the depletion of ocean resources. We are happy to support Entobel on this exciting and impactful journey,” said Thomas Jacobs, IFC country manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR.
Co-founders Gaëtan Crielaard and Alexandre de Caters, both Belgians, moved to Vietnam in 2013 after realizing the vast potential of this new and innovative industry. Southeast Asia is a main aquaculture hub and the tropical climate is ideal to rear black soldier fly with relatively lower energy costs compared to competitors in Europe.
“After spending almost ten years in Southeast Asia, we know we have made the right decision to start our company here. We are aligned with IFC on focusing on the tropical region to minimize our environmental footprint and remain highly competitive,” said de Caters.
“We are proud to count IFC as a partner. This will enable us to accelerate international expansion in Asia where we are convinced the strongest growth potential lies for this industry. It is essential for Entobel to contribute to a more sustainable aquaculture industry and help reduce the oceans' depletion. To achieve our ambitious impact goals, scale and industrialization of the model is needed,” Crielaard concluded.
