Lithuanian insect supplier to set up yellow mealworm plant

Insect protein firm Divaks announced plans for its new yellow mealworm plant in Lithuania’s Marijampolė Free Economic Zone to cope with increasing market demand.

The 23-meter vertical plant, with an annual capacity of 15,000 tons, will be used mainly for premium pet food applications.

“Our new facility will help food brands tap into this fast-growing, high-potential sector with high-quality protein ingredients for premium food products,” says Divaks CEO and Co-Founder Kęstutis Lipnickas.

Execution work

Swiss plant equipment manufacturer Bühler Group will be responsible for providing solutions, planning and executing the plant, from preparing larvae feedstock to maintaining a fully automated and climate-controlled larvae growth system.

The group will also aid the facility with a production line to transform harvested larvae into textured insect proteins (TIP), insect protein concentrates (IPC) and other specialized food ingredients.

Divaks was founded in 2020 and is now approaching the end of its Series A funding round, which is targeted at raising €67 million ($73.3M).

In 2022, it received an additional capital injection of €3 million ($3.2M) that was used to secure novel food authorization from the European Commission.