Ynsect: Mealworms for human consumption

About the Project

Mealworms on the menu—who would have thought? Protifarm, a startup that specializes in raising insects—specifically mealworms for human consumption—firmly believes in this.

We convinced them to choose us as their full-service consultant to help them achieve their goals at their production sites in Ermelo and Zeewolde.

The Role of Vicoma

At Vicoma, we prefer to work on multidisciplinary projects. We provided comprehensive advice.

From processes to production lines, and from architecture to civil engineering and structures. This applies both to the expansion of Protifarm’s existing production facility in Ermelo and to the planned new construction in Zeewolde.

The projects in Ermelo and Zeewolde were completely different. A great foundation for two interesting projects. In Ermelo, we had to use our ingenuity to expand and optimize the production process within the existing buildings.

For the new construction project in Zeewolde, a design in line with market standards had to be created to allow for the building’s potential second life as a distribution center. Our architects’ extensive experience in that sector proved to be extremely valuable in this regard.

It goes without saying that the building also had to be suitable for Protifarm’s own operations. It’s a great challenge for us to find one optimal answer to both questions.

Result

Ingenious concepts for both locations. This was to Protifarm’s full satisfaction. During this intensive process, Protifarm was acquired by the French company Ynsect. For the time being, they are still fully committed to the projects in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, they ultimately chose other countries, and we weren’t able to turn our plans into something tangible. Fortunately, the knowledge we’ve gained is lasting. No one can take that away from us anymore.