Industry experts Einar Wathne and Bert Pauli have joined the advisory board of the insect ingredients company Protix. The company hopes these specialists will give their valuable input and insights also in the next stage of its journey.
Einar Wathne is the former CEO of EWOS and president of Cargill Aqua Nutrition. Also, he is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Biosciences at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and sits on the board of directors of Bakkafrost. Finally, he is chairman of NCE Seafood Cluster AS and Nutrimar Holding AS.
In other words, he looks forward to helping Protix drive its long-term impact in the industry. "The farming expertise and the technological and commercial nature of Protix are unique in the world. It will be a critical success factor in bringing this new category of nutrition to the aquaculture industry" he noted.
On the other hand, Bert Pauli and Protix collaborated between 2013-2019. Pauli will focus on the areas of complex stakeholder management, international regulatory affairs and national & municipal interests. Regarding this, he said: "Protix has proven its ability to drive multistakeholder dialogue through its transparent and motivating agenda and vision. I look forward to continuing to support them in the scale-up phase. Close collaboration with different stakeholders on an international scale will be crucial, and I am pleased to contribute with my expertise in that area."
Moreover, Kees Aarts, CEO, and founder of Protix confirmed: "We are very excited that both are providing us with advice and support in our ambitious growth plans. We are confident their in-depth knowledge, network, and experience are a real asset in navigating our company through the next phase."
Protix breeds larvae from the black soldier fly and is the market leader in insect-based nutrition for healthy and sustainable feed and food. Organic waste from the food industry serves as feed for the insects. In turn, the insects are processed into sustainable ingredients such as proteins and lipids.
The company was the first to explore the idea of insect-based nutrition, a category that Protix was instrumental in establishing. Since 2009, Protix has invested in developing insect ingredients and building up the industry from scratch. With its world-leading facility built in 2019, the company now supports many global leading brands and industrial manufacturers in their endeavours to deliver healthy and more sustainable products.
These nutrients are used by Protix's customers as nutritious high-added value ingredients in pet food and animal feed. Insect ingredients are more sustainable ingredients than soy or fishmeal and help prevent overfishing and deforestation for soy cultivation. Protix has built the first-in-the-world industrial insect facility and has laid the basis for a broad range of certified applications in feed and food. Protix contributes to a food system that is in balance with nature.