Protenga

What Protenga does

Protenga is a Singapore-headquartered agricultural technology company, founded in 2016, that farms Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae to convert agricultural and food waste biomass into sustainable insect protein, oil, and organic fertiliser. The company operates a vertically integrated stack: it designs and runs Smart Insect Farm™ systems in Malaysia, supplies the resulting products under the Hermet brand (Hermet Protein for Pets/Aquaculture/Poultry, Hermet Oil, and Hermet Frass), and sells finished dog food directly to consumers through its wholly-owned YumGrubs brand.

The Smart Insect Farm™ system is a modular, decentralised insect farming platform that is deployed directly at feedstock sources such as palm oil mills and agricultural sites, with the company claiming production at less than one-third the capital cost of comparable industry operations. The proprietary InsectOS software platform powers the farms with IoT-based sensing, automated precision feeding and harvesting, climate and process control, biosecurity, and full batch traceability; it produces over 600,000 data points per day across three production facilities and tailors process recipes to each farm's biomass mix. BSF genetics are co-developed with UK-based Roslin Technologies, and fermentation research is conducted with NTU-SCELSE, with co-authored publication in the Fermentation journal on BSFL protein hydrolysates.

Protenga monetises through four streams: B2B sales of Hermet protein, oil, and frass products (in 25kg bags and bulk) to feed millers, farms, and agriculture businesses; Smart Insect Farm™ technology licensing and partnership deals that bundle seedling larvae supply, InsectOS, and product off-take agreements; direct-to-consumer YumGrubs pet food via yumgrubs.com; and co-manufacturing services for third-party and white-label insect-based pet food and feed brands. End customers include aquaculture feed mills and farms (shrimp, crustaceans, carnivorous fish), pet food manufacturers, palm and vegetable farmers, and government partners such as the Malaysian Department of Agriculture. The company has stated an ambition to deploy 100 Smart Insect Farms by 2030 across Southeast Asia.

Name

Protenga

Legal name

Protenga Pte Ltd

Website

https://protenga.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Protenga is a Singapore-based agritech company that operates a decentralised Black Soldier Fly farming platform (Smart Insect Farm™) to convert agricultural waste into sustainable insect protein, oil, and frass for aquaculture feed, pet food, and fertiliser customers across Southeast Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insect Protein and Sustainable Feed Ingredients

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAEAIAI

Insect Farming (Crickets, Mealworms, Black Soldier Fly)

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Other Livestock & Specialty Animal Farming (e.g., rabbits, bison, camelids)

SECONDARYAFAJAHAG

Insect Protein Ingredients (Cricket, Black Soldier Fly, Mealworm)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Ingredients & Additives/Proteins & Protein Ingredients (Plant/Animal Proteins, Protein Isolates/Concentrates)

SECONDARYAFAKAGAJ

Insect-Based Protein Foods Manufacturing

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Processing & Manufacturing/Plant-Based & Alternative Protein Foods Manufacturing

Keywords

• Insect protein production
• Black soldier fly farming
• Sustainable animal feed
• Organic fertiliser manufacturing
• Smart insect farming technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hermet Protein, Oil and Frass Product Sales: Protenga produces and sells insect protein meal, insect oil, and organic fertiliser (frass) under the Hermet brand. Products are sold in 25kg bags and bulk quantities to feed millers, farms, and agriculture businesses. The company also provides co-manufacturing for third-party and white-label brands.
2. Smart Insect Farm Technology Licensing and Partnership: Protenga designs, builds, and operates Smart Insect Farms for partners. The model includes supplying fresh seedling larvae from Protenga's Breeding Centre, providing the InsectOS software platform, and offering final product off-take agreements where partners sell harvested larvae and frass back to Protenga or use them directly.
3. YumGrubs Pet Food Brand: Protenga's own pet food brand selling sustainable dog food made from insect protein. Sold directly to consumers via yumgrubs.com with a focus on mainstream affordability. Also available for retail and wholesale distribution.
4. Co-manufacturing Services: Protenga's production facilities provide co-manufacturing for third-party and white-label brands in the insect-based pet food and feed space, to accelerate insect-based product growth and transition into mainstream markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Protenga produces and sells insect-based protein, oil, and organic fertiliser (frass) under the Hermet brand, derived from sustainably farmed Black Soldier Fly larvae. The company also designs, builds, and licenses its Smart Insect Farm technology — a modular, data-driven insect farming system powered by proprietary InsectOS software — to partners and waste owners in Asia. It also operates the YumGrubs direct-to-consumer pet food brand and provides co-manufacturing services for third-party brands.

Product overview

Protenga operates as an insect farming technology company offering a unified ecosystem of products and technology. The core offering is the Smart Insect Farm™ system, a modular, data-driven insect farming platform powered by the proprietary InsectOS operating system that enables decentralized production of Black Soldier Fly larvae. This platform feeds into three main product lines: Hermet Protein (available in formulations for pets, aquaculture, and poultry), Hermet Oil, and Hermet Frass fertilizer. The company also operates a consumer-facing pet food brand called YumGrubs that integrates its Hermet Protein products into finished pet food. The Smart Insect Farm technology allows conversion of agricultural and food manufacturing by-products into fully traceable insect protein, creating a circular economy model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hermet: Product brand for insect protein, oil, and frass products including Hermet Protein for Pets, Aqua, and Poultry; Hermet Oil; and Hermet Frass fertiliser.
• YumGrubs

Products and services

• Smart Insect Farm Protenga's next-generation, industrial-grade, data-driven insect farming system that enables decentralised production of Black Soldier Fly larvae at feedstock sources. The modular system converts organic biomass and agricultural by-products into sustainable protein, oil, and frass products. Both mechanised and fully-automated versions are available.
• Hermet Protein for Pets Whole meal insect protein specifically designed for use in natural premium pet foods. Produced by gently processing sustainably farmed Black Soldier Fly larvae to retain natural goodness, with a balanced nutritional profile, amino acid composition, palatability, and hypo-allergenicity. Registered with the Animal Feed Act under the Department of Veterinary Malaysia and available for export.
• Hermet Protein for Aquaculture Defatted insect protein meal for aquaculture applications, produced from Black Soldier Fly larvae. Designed to increase palatability and attractiveness of feed while improving health and stress resilience for crustaceans (whiteleg shrimp, tiger prawn, crayfish, lobster) and carnivorous fish (trout, salmon, barramundi, grouper, tuna).
• Hermet Protein for Poultry Dried Black Soldier Fly larvae for poultry feed applications. Designed for maximum digestible protein and amino acids to improve growth rates, health, and stress resilience, particularly in closed-farm environments. Registered with the Animal Feed Act under the Department of Veterinary Malaysia.
• Hermet Oil Insect oil rich in medium-chain fatty acids providing easily digestible lipids for early-animal nutrition particularly in piglets, chicks, and shrimp. Also serves as an attractant in oil coating blends for pet food and aquafeed to simulate palatability and feed intake.
• Hermet Frass Pure organic fertiliser made from insect castings, sheddings and fibers. Contains high organic matter, chitin and minerals that restore and regenerate soil, improve plant's natural defences, and help produce nutritious, healthy crops. Follows the Malaysian Organic Fertilizers Standard MS 1517:2012. In leafy vegetable trials, 7kg of Hermet Frass achieved comparable yield to 50kg of standard fertiliser.
• YumGrubs Protenga's pet food brand developing extraordinarily sustainable, healthy, natural pet foods based on Hermet Protein and Oil products with locally-sourced Asian ingredients. First product, YumGrubs for Dogs, is AAFCO-compliant with demonstrated palatability (nine out of ten dogs preferred YumGrubs over their usual feed in palatability tests). Sold directly to consumers via yumgrubs.com and available for retail and wholesale distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• Production ramped up tenfold within 2021, reaching double-digit tonnage monthly
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NTU-SCELSE (Nanyang Technological University - Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Two-year research collaboration to develop methods to transform Black Soldier Fly Larvae into functional protein hydrolysates using lactic acid bacteria fermentation. Jointly co-authored an open-access article in the journal Fermentation on nutritional protein hydrolysates from BSFL.
• Malaysian Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with the Malaysian Department of Agriculture to demonstrate the value of Hermet Frass products across a variety of agricultural applications, promoting good soil practices and regenerative farming throughout Malaysia. Collaboration with the Dept of Agriculture, Johor on frass farm trials.
• AFFIA (Asian Food and Feed Insects Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtenga is an active participant in AFFIA initiatives including the Asian Insect Industry & Research Forum 2025 hosted by Universiti Malaya. Team members contributed to panels on quality assurance, certification, risk perception, market access, and export readiness, helping shape regional insect industry standards.
• Universiti MalayaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted the Asian Insect Industry & Research Forum 2025 where Protenga team members presented and participated in industry discussions on regulation, value perception, and the future of the insect industry in Southeast Asia.
• BioloopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided a facility tour during the Asian Insect Industry & Research Forum 2025, demonstrating open teamwork and collaboration in the insect protein industry.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ÿnsect: France-based global leader in insect protein (mealworm-focused, expanding to BSF) for feed and pet food. Largest funded insect protein player globally; competes directly with Protenga in the aquafeed and pet food ingredient markets.
• Entomo Farms: North America's largest insect protein producer for human food and pet food. Comparable BSF/mealworm production model and serves overlapping downstream markets including pet food brands.
• Hexafly: Ireland-based Black Soldier Fly insect protein and frass producer targeting aquaculture, pet food, and soil nutrition in Europe. Comparable circular-economy BSF-to-protein model.
• Entofood: Malaysia-based Black Soldier Fly protein producer for aquaculture and animal feed. Direct regional peer competing for similar Southeast Asian feed mill customers and palm-by-product feedstock.
• Nutrition Technologies: Singapore/Malaysia-based Black Soldier Fly insect protein producer with vertically integrated bioconversion operations. Closest direct geographic competitor, operating similar BSF-to-protein, oil, and frass model across Southeast Asia.
• AgriProtein: South Africa-based pioneer in BSF-based insect protein, oil, and frass for animal feed and fertilizer. Directly comparable product portfolio and circular-economy positioning targeting global feed and soil amendment markets.
• InnovaFeed: France-based Black Soldier Fly insect protein producer serving aquaculture (notably salmon) and pet food. Direct competitor with strong industrial partnerships (Cargill, ADM) and similar co-location strategy around agricultural feedstock.

Others

• Bühler Group: Swiss plant and process equipment manufacturer that has built insect processing technology offerings and partners with multiple BSF producers. Adjacent technology enabler rather than direct competitor; relevant as an ecosystem partner or alternative equipment supplier to insect farms.

Broad incumbents

• Darling Ingredients: Global leader in rendering and sustainable animal feed ingredients (including insect protein via its partnership with InnovaFeed through Diamond Green Diesel). Broad incumbent in animal nutrition that competes for aquafeed and pet food ingredient budgets.
• Cargill: Global agricultural commodity and animal nutrition giant with aquafeed and pet food divisions. Competes broadly with Protenga for feed mill customers and has partnered with InnovaFeed to develop insect protein offerings, signaling direct competitive overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/protenga
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/protenga

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Protenga