Protix is the leading insect proteins and ingredients company; producing and selling highest quality insect-based ingredients. It is at the forefront of defining the standards of product safety and quality and has been the first to establish multiple new markets and initiated and founded the IPIFF, the leading insect association. Protix currently produces in the Netherlands and is further ramping up production in the EU. At the heart of our company and business activities is a strong belief in a sustainable food future where all people get enough good and nutritious food, produced within our planet’s boundaries.
Protix and its founders, Kees Aarts and Tarique Arsiwalla are part of ground breaking international consortia like the Food KIC, research consortia and the recently launched FRESH network. Kees is also member of the World Economic Forum Global Council on Food Security and Agriculture that have recently published a scenario analysis of our food system at the World Food Program in Davos.
The food system is broken and needs a full overhaul. This conclusion is shared by parties across the government, academic and private sectors, and global institutions, such as the World Bank, World Food Program. In particular, we have far exceeded the natural boundaries of our planet’s nitrogen cycle, to a large extent because of our protein production system. We at Protix believe that we can play an important role in providing sustainable proteins for a food system in balance with Nature. And that needs to happen as fast as possible.
The Buhler Insect Technology Solutions (BITS) joint venture is the logical next step to accelerating towards more sustainable food production. Buhler is a global leader in food processing solutions based in Switzerland, with a renowned reputation on quality and reliability. Protix has long been the leader in knowledge and technology to grow and process insects in an efficient and hygienic way. Both Buhler and Protix believe the technology developed by Protix can and should become an industry best-practice and standard. The goal of the BITS JV is to bring this technology to the world faster than either could have done individually. BITS already has its first customers. As a global force, BITS will focus towards the East in the coming years where the growing middle class is posing a huge challenge in providing enough nutrients in an affordable and sustainable way. BITS will further raise the insect industry standards of operations, just as Buhler has done in the milling industry, and Protix has done in the insect industry until now.
Protix will remain independent, operating insect production facilities with its deep biological and process knowledge, and will further focus on specialty ingredients with an emphasis on insect proteins and lipids. Protix believes that the new global production platform created by the Joint Venture will offer both alleviation to our planetary resource system and huge business opportunities for Protix and other insect related businesses for whom knowhow, technologies and ingredients will become more readily available.
