Alpha-Protein

About Us

We are Alpha-Protein, a German startup with an international team. We will disrupt the food and feed industry by establishing the cost-efficient and large-scale production of mealworms as a sustainable protein source. The food industry produces many by products which are not further used and go to waste. The same applies to hundreds of tons of food that are taken off the shelves due to legal regulations or because they cannot meet the customer’s expectations.

Is there no meaningful use for those products?

Yes, they can be transformed into a mix rich of proteins, vitamins, and minerals which serves as food for our mealworms. That is the embodiment of upcycling, sustainability and Alpha-Protein’s mission. We are the first German company, which implements a sustainable, cost-efficient and scalable mass production of mealworms as a source for protein-rich food and feed. Our innovative technology will help to improve the competitiveness of insects in the food and feed market, and solve the future food shortages of the world’s growing population.

We are happy that you are interested in us, our vision and our work. Much of it may sound unfamiliar. But what is new today may be the rule tomorrow.

Our Mission and Vision

Mission
Everyone in this world has the opportunity to eat sustainably, healthy and environmentally friendly.

Vision
We will provide the most sustainable, nutritious basis for a healthy diet.

Our History

The origin of our innovation has its roots in an idyllic chicken coop in Boston. During his studies at the Boston University, our founder Gia Tien Ngo lived in a pescatarian household. Therefore, with the exception of fish, he was not allowed to prepare any animal products that he used to consume. Seafood or fish as an alternative source of protein was not affordable for a student and aspiring athlete from a working class family.

Coincidentally, he discovered the nutritional value of mealworms, which were used as fodder for the chicken in the backyard. With a protein content over 55 %, mealworms seemed to be the best and by far the cheapest solution to his problem. But are Insects a suitable dietary supplement? …At first it was an effort of will for him to mix the dried mealworms into his morning smoothies. But it was well worth it: Soon after changing his dietary habits, he experienced positive results in muscle growth. He also felt fit and full of energy. Thanks to this experience, the founder’s interest in insects as a sustainable source of protein was ignited. Eventually, the idea of mealworms as a sustainable protein source originated in a chicken coop.

Our Roadmap

Our Innovation

Alpha-Protein is the Game Changer: Modular, automated, scalable and globally applicable. Our automated systems produce safe food and feed products at a competitive price.

Traditional breeding systems for insects have numerous disadvantages: they consume a lot of energy, they require many manual steps and are very inefficient. Under these conditions they cannot compete with vegetables and other animal-based protein sources. Alpha-Protein’s Disruptive Technology is a game changer: It enables the sustainable breeding of insects and the most efficient use of resources.

The innovative production system of Alpha-Protein is technologically superior to conventional breeding systems and creates an immense cost advantage. Therefore, Alpha-Protein lays the foundation for change in the diet of the world’s population.

Our system is

Automated

The elimination of manual work steps enables high competitiveness and cost efficiency. The utilization of resources is optimized to the maximum.

Intelligent

State-of-the-art sensor technology secures optimum breeding conditions and enables complete control of the entire system.

Globally Applicable

The technological innovations enable the implementation at any location.

Modular

The system can easily be extended with additional functions at any time and can therefore be adapted to different applications.

Scalable

The well thought-out design enables an effortless increase in production volume.

Our Advantages

Numbers that speak for themselves and for us!

Insects require significantly less resources in production than cattle.

10 x

less space

12 x

less feed

2500 x

less water

100 x

faster

100 x

fewer greenhouse gases

200 x

less land use

More facts & figures that make our innovation necessary

70 %

of the agricultural area is already used for animal production

70 %

of the global water consumption is caused by agriculture and the connected feed production.

80 %

of the global deforestation are direct consequences of the food production

200 %

the expected meat production will increase to 465 million tons by 2050

Insects are the Key to Sustainability