Hargol commercially farms grasshoppers to produce alternative protein powder.
Hargol’s infrastructure is based on the poultry industry and includes a breeding facility, fattening facility and processing facility. The grasshoppers are raised in cage structures on vertical farms and within a climate-controlled environment. The egg incubation process is accelerated from 40 weeks to two weeks.
Through Hargol’s processing methods, the final product is a powder consisting of nutrients including omega 3, omega 6, omega 9, iron, zinc, folic acid, calcium, chitin and vitamins, which can be blended into food and beverages. The powder is produced using no antibiotics, fertilisers, hormones, pesticides and is non-GMO.
The start-up has also now created a meat made from minced grasshoppers.
Hargol says that the current producers of alternative proteins use extensive processing or are harmful to the environment and that their own zero-waste method involves minimal processing, produces low greenhouse emissions and has a low water usage footprint.
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