Sowing the seeds for the sustainability of the Australian Insect Industry

The Australian Insect industry is exciting and nerve-wracking in equal measure. For the past decade, the world has heard about the enormous potential of commercialisation of insects as food, feed, and fertiliser. Most would have heard the sustainability claims that insect farming is good for the planet; by many measures – less land, less water, and less greenhouse gas emissions when compared to traditional sources of protein and organic waste management technologies. We collectively became enamoured with the capability of insect bioconversion to turn organic waste into multiple revenue streams including protein for food and feed, and fertiliser for farming. Soon, money flowed into the industry and we began to see the rise of mega-factories producing hundreds of tonnes of insect products monthly. The growth was also reflected by the increasing number of academic research papers being published on insect-related topics, from insect biology to nutrition, extraction of anti-microbial peptides to development of genetic engineering protocols.

The industry has been full of optimism and buoyed by creating a cleaner, greener future, but over the last few years, that vision has started to glitch. Recently we’ve seen the closure of several pioneers of the commercial insect industry.

Company	Location	Insect Farmed	Date of Event	What happened	Est. Total Capital Raised
AgriProtein/ Insect Technology Group (ITG)	South Africa/UK	Black Soldier Fly Larvae	Feb 2021	Parent Group (ITG) entered administration. Assets sold.	$USD 105m (AgFunder)
Ynsect	France	Yellow Mealworm, Buffalo Worm	Feb 2025	Filed for insolvency/judicial recovery	$USD 625m (Tracxn)
Aspire Food Group	Canada (global)	Cricket	May 2025	Court-supervised rescue to preserve operations.	$USD 53.2m (Tracxn)
Enorm	Denmark	Black Soldier Fly Larvae	Nov 2025	Declared bankrupt. Reported funding/market demand shortfalls.	€50m (AgFunder)

Whilst the number varies across different sources, the total capital invested (venture/private capital) in the global insect industry over the past 10 years is estimated to be around $USD 1.5 – 1.7 billion (Crunchbase news).

As a member of the insect industry, why would I be writing a blog post about its reported downturn? I do this because I still have hope; not passive hope, but active hope. Like many founders before me, I still believe in the potential for insects to be a significant building block for more resilient food systems. Not just food, feed and fertiliser, but really fascinating stuff like: investigative research on the identification and isolation of specific compounds that may lead to the development of novel treatments for animal and human health, reducing the risks of anti-microbial resistance, bioplastics derived from insects, and the use of insect farming systems as ‘bio-reactors’.

Weekly our inbox receives emails from people discovering black soldier fly larvae and their potential for organic waste conversion. “How do I start a colony in my backyard?” “What’s the potential for a commercial business farming insects?” “Why aren’t more people doing this?”

At the genesis of Mobius Farms, we envisioned building a community of passionate insect producers, working collaboratively to make a positive change for themselves, the planet, and their community. After being bruised and buffeted by the experiences of start-up accelerator programs, VC investor meetings, and multiple funding set-backs, we find ourselves returning to our original vision.

Through our unique insect bioconversion technology, we want to ACTIVATE communities to RECOVER natural resources and CREATE security through more sustainable food production systems.

This is what we are truly passionate about.

In 2024 we pivoted from seeking investment for a large-scale operating plant, to developing a fully integrated, modular insect bioconversion farm. Designed to be industrially robust but not “high-tech”, serviceable by your local tradesperson, and ‘open-source’ in operation. The unit provides a turn-key solution for a range of customers including individuals, farm owners, university campuses, tourism resorts, and urban and regional communities seeking to close the loop on organic waste.

To complement the technology, we’re partnering with Fly Mumma to produce an on-line, facilitated Black Soldier Fly Farming training program. Designed for ‘every learner’, the program will be relevant to those wanting to start a small farm, researchers, and those with much bigger ambitions.

Combining years of engineering, practical insect farming, community capacity building, training, and education experience delivered across diverse communities, we are confident that our products and services will be pivotal in ensuring that the Australian and global insect industry remains fertile and resilient for years to come.

If you’re interested in becoming part of this exciting industry, or just want to learn more about black soldier fly farming, register your interest by sending us an email. We’ll be sure to let you know when new products and services become available.