Entrepreneurship Zone: 26 June 2023 :: Ghana: Revolutionising protein supply with edible insects

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Entrepreneurship Zone: 26 June 2023 ::  Ghana: Revolutionising protein
supply with edible insects

 

	
 


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 <https://www.hyundai.co.zw/> 


Shobhita Soor, founder of Legendary Foods in Ghana, discusses her mission
to make insect larvae (particularly that of the palm weevil) the most
affordable source of protein in West Africa.


Tell us more about Legendary Foods. How did you get into the edible insects
business?


I started my journey into the world of edible insects as a founder of
Aspire Food Group, which won the $1 million Hult Prize in 2013.

Whilst Aspire grew to focus more on pet food and frass (cricket excrement
which can be used in fertilisers), primarily in North America, I was
interested in the market opportunities for human food that I saw whilst
working with Aspire in Ghana.

It was important to me that the research and technology should be built
within the country itself, so in 2020 I started Legendary Foods as a
distinct entity with Aspire as a minority shareholder.


Explain your product range. In what form do you sell the larvae?


Right now, we sell a range of products, with the primary line being fresh
and frozen larvae that we sell to consumers and businesses. This serves as a
direct substitute for meat and fish.

We also produce manufactured products such as a larvae shito sauce (a
popular condiment in Ghana) and biscuits made using a larvae butter. These
are gateway products that are more popular with younger consumers and those
who have grown up in urban areas and are no longer accustomed to eating
larvae.

Finally, we have a café at our site in Kumasi, which serves value-added
products such as larvae stew or soup. Though the long-term focus is on the
first two categories, the café helps fill gaps where customers haven’t eaten
larvae in a long time, or don’t know how to cook them themselves.


What are some of the problems you are trying to solve with Legendary Foods?


Protein sovereignty is one really important area: across the region, the
bulk of animal protein is imported. So whilst there are definitely export
opportunities, our primary focus is on serving the regional population in
West and Central Africa.

Another area is around the accessibility of nutritious foods. Protein-rich
foods like chicken and beef have a lack of shelf-stability and this makes
them difficult and expensive to access. This means that many people,
particularly in rural areas, are lacking sufficient sources of nutrients
like protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins, all which larvae can provide in a
shelf-stable format.



According to Soor, insect larvae are a direct substitute for meat and fish.


How do you farm and harvest the larvae?


Our current premises reflects a system that brings modern vertical farming
technology to traditional farming methods. We are focused on making the most
efficient use of space possible to optimise our production system.

In terms of the process, we pair up the male and female weevil to mate and
lay eggs, which then hatch into larvae. We nurture these to maturity in
large bins before we harvest them for sale.


Did you always plan to work towards your current production setup, or did
this come about through experimentation?


We previously tested rearing the larvae on a decentralised model working
with individual households. While this was a tremendous learning
opportunity, it presented many challenges at scale. There were some people
who found their own niches and whose lives were unalterably changed for the
better, but it was difficult from a commercial point of view because whilst
we had a lot of experience and scientific knowledge on rearing the larvae,
providing support services and monitoring the individual household farmers
proved difficult.

Because of the variability in results using this model, we moved towards a
model with one centralised factory, which allows us to scientifically
improve production from generation to generation in a much more controlled
environment. We chose the campus at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology in Kumasi with which we have done research projects.

Now that we have achieved consistent quality and production, we are looking
at opening a commercial-scale production facility in Accra where there is a
more active support system for agri-processing businesses.



Insect larvae are rich in nutrients like protein, iron, zinc and B
vitamins.


Do you face difficulties in convincing people to view larvae as food?


I think it’s something new but at the same time something old. There is
documented consumption of larvae across the region, for example in Nigeria,
Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo – really anywhere there
are palm trees. In the last couple of decades, larvae have become harder to
find in the wild due to increased use of insecticides and deforestation.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo-Brazzaville particularly,
larvae are viewed as a delicacy. Even in Ghana, where it is not so
widespread, people view it as a rich, nutritious meat. I would describe it
as having the taste of shrimp, with the texture of sausage.

Larvae are often perceived as being a traditional food but they tend to be
expensive because they are still harvested manually. Part of our value
proposition is that we have developed our own feed that is not dependent on
palm trees. This means we can farm in a scalable, less labour intensive
manner that is far more gentle on the environment and reduces the cost to
consumers.


How do you see the business developing over the next few years?


Our overarching goal is to provide the most cost-effective form of protein
in the region. That’s our North Star. We have spent the last few years
researching and understanding the biology and physiology of the larvae. Now
our focus is on building operational efficiencies and increasing the
mechanisation of the process, so that we can drive down unit economics and
build up scale.

Ultimately, we believe there is an opportunity to cultivate a rich source
of protein at a scale that was previously considered impossible – it is an
intensely rewarding challenge that can yield significant environmental,
financial and social benefits here. In essence, where others see a
traditional niche delicacy, we see a highly scalable protein source, the
same way that quinoa and pea protein were once considered niche, until the
appropriate technologies emerged that unlocked their true potential at
scale.



Shobhita Soor, founder of Legendary Foods in Ghana.

 

 

 


 


 


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