Volare's new CCO Benjamin Armenjon and COO Antti Åke.
Photo: Volare
Finnish insect protein company Volare has announced two senior appointments as it embarks on expanding its operations and commercial reach.
Founded in Finland in 2021, Volare develops technology that uses black soldier fly to convert food industry side streams into protein, oil, and fertiliser. Its products are aimed at aquafeed, pet food, and industrial applications, with the goal of building a more circular and sustainable food system.
The company is currently constructing its first large-scale production plant in the city of Pori in western Finland.
The first of the two new senior hires announced by the company is Volare's new Chief Commercial Officer Benjamin Armenjon, formerly CCO at French insect protein firm Ÿnsect. Tasked with leading commercial strategy, partnerships, and customer-focused growth, Armenjon holds a PhD in food technology, and most recently was Managing Director of seaweed ingredients firm Oceanium.
Commenting on his new role via a press release, Armenjon highlighted the food industry's urgent need for scalable solutions. "Volare is uniquely positioned to deliver insect-based ingredients that reduce pressure on natural resources while creating real value for customers. Sustainability and growth can go hand in hand, and that’s exactly what we’re proving.”
Volare has brought experienced business strategist Antti Åke onboard as its new Chief Operating Officer. Åke previously held leadership roles in Europe and Asia with Bayer and Covestro, and more recently was CEO of WasteWise Group Oy, where he oversaw the development of a pyrolysis plant.
In his new role, Åke will take charge of Volare’s plant operations and team development, joining at what he described as a "decisive phase" for the company, where it is "moving from technology development to full-scale industrial operations."
"This is a rare opportunity to both scale innovative technology and create meaningful impact in the global food system. I look forward to applying my experience to make Volare’s vision a reality," Åke added.
In a statement on LinkedIn, Volare said the two appointments strengthen its ability to “move faster in our mission: turning food industry side streams into high-quality, sustainable ingredients and building a resilient, circular food system.”
“Welcoming Benjamin and Antti to the team marks a major step in Volare’s journey," said CEO Jarna Hyvönen. "We are building the next generation of insect protein production: lean, effective, and designed to scale sustainably. With our first industrial plant under construction, this is exactly the leadership we need to deliver on our mission.”
In May this year, Volare announced it had secured €26 million in financing to construct a state-of-the-art insect protein production plant in Pori, scaling up from its original demonstration facility in Hyvinkää.
Volare's relocation to Pori was completed over the summer, with construction of the new facility underway, the company confirmed in a separate LinkedIn post.
“The demo at Hyvinkää was built in 9 months (on budget and schedule!) right after Volare was founded. Six months later the first pet food products including our protein meal were launched. Since then we’ve kept up the speed and now we’re building Volare 01, the first industrial scale factory in Pori!” the company said in its update.
Billed as "the most energy-efficient protein production facility in the world", Volare 01 is intended to scale up the conversion of food industry byproducts into protein, oil, and fertilizer using black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens).
Volare’s insect protein ingredients are already being used in aquaculture feed, pet food, and poultry feed. In 2024, the company signed a long-term supply agreement with Skretting, and a pilot project for insect-fed rainbow trout is underway in Finland.
