Thai insect-based pet treat startup Orgafeed attracts investment

The insects used are raised on a diet from pre-consumed food waste, supporting circular economy principles. Orgafeed has been a part of the first batch of SPACE-F, Thailand's first global food-tech startup incubator and accelerator, co-founded by Thai Union in 2019.

This is not the first investment Thai Union makes in the pet industry. Thai Union's pet product portfolio includes market-ready brands such as Marvo, Bellota, Paramount, and Calico Bay and a vast number of private-labels under customer brand names. Thai Union recently expanded its pet food operations in Japan by forming a subsidiary to distribute, sell and import pet food and pet-related products.

'At Thai Union, innovation and sustainability are two important pillars of our business. The pet industry is experiencing strong humanization and premiumization trends, which has led to customers looking for healthier and more sustainable products, thus driving our portfolio towards sustainable pet products, such as insect protein, where the environmental impact (emissions, land and water usage) is significantly lower than other kinds of farmed protein,' said Roy Chan, CEO of i-Tail, Thai Union. 'Orgafeed will help us better serve our customers, especially in the sustainable pet food segment. We're very pleased to be participating in this round of funding and are looking forward to exploring collaboration opportunities with them.'

Ittikorn Thepmani, Orgafeed's co-founder and Circular Economy Officer (CEO) said, 'We believe that insect protein is a sustainable choice that helps to raise the standard of the pet food industry, both in terms of nutritional benefits and sustainability. With this partnership and investment from Thai Union Group, we will be able to scale both our business as well as the positive impacts on the environment. We look forward to this journey together with Thai Union Group and their pet care experts and professionals.'

by Global Pet