Insect production is entering a new era of industrial scale and sustainability. Tebrio, a pioneer in mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) production, is taking a major step forward with the construction of oFarm—the world’s largest insect production facility. Set to become a benchmark in green biotechnology, circular economy, and automation, oFarm embodies Tebrio’s ambition to redefine sustainable protein production. In this interview, José Ángel Sanz, Head of Communications at Tebrio, discusses how this groundbreaking project will build on the company’s expertise, advance the insect protein industry, and set new global standards for efficiency, scalability, and environmental responsibility.
Head of Communications
Tebrio
Tebrio has long been a prominent player in mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) production, and in early 2025, you broke ground for the world’s largest insect production farm. How does the construction of this new plant transform the company’s expertise?
The construction of our new plant, which will be the largest insect production farm in the world, represents a transformative step in our expertise. Currently, the civil works for the first modular building—an exact replica of future units—are nearing completion, with production having started in March 2025. This initial phase is crucial for identifying improvements that will optimize operations as the rest of the farm is built. The project allows Tebrio to scale up its technology and processes, reinforcing its position as a global leader in sustainable Tenebrio molitor production with an annual capacity exceeding 100,000 tons.
What will be the production capacity of this farm when it is fully operational? Compared to other insect production facilities around the world, what is the significance of this scale in the industry?
The new plant, called oFarm, will be constructed in six phases over a total area of 90,000 square meters. It will generate 150 direct jobs and 1,350 indirect jobs, and is designed with a strong focus on sustainability, including being powered by 100% renewable solar energy. Compared to the current production scale of small insect farms worldwide, oFarm represents a clear before-and-after moment in the industry, significantly advancing production capacity, process optimization, and environmental standards. The full project completion is expected by 2028.
It is stated that approximately 60% of the mealworm production from the farm will be used in aquafeed. In this context, how do you ensure the quality and suitability of your products for aquafeed? If available, could you share examples of tests or studies conducted?
Modern aquaculture faces a problem of sustainability due to its reliance on ingredients like fishmeal and fish oil (sourced from fishing) and certain vegetable sources. These ingredients not only deplete resources and contribute to deforestation, but often fail to meet the full nutritional requirements of fish and crustaceans. The ingredients we produce, based on mealworm protein and oil, offer a genuinely sustainable alternative.
Our approach is modular: We optimize every stage of the value chain—from the feeding and rearing conditions of the larvae to the transformation processes—to ensure the final ingredients precisely meet the nutritional needs of our clients’ animals. All this is done while guaranteeing total traceability of the process and maximum quality.
Beyond production, we conduct exhaustive characterization of our ingredients and validate their application through laboratory and field trials in collaboration with clients, universities, and leading technological centers.
We have participated in key initiatives like the ACUISOST research project (funded by NextGeneration EU Funds), where we formulated feeds with our ingredients that were successfully validated in trials with trout and gilthead sea bream, showing excellent results across different growth stages and in situations of biotic and abiotic stress.
Currently, we are part of the European SAFE project (funded by Horizon Europe), which aims to develop circular aquaculture production systems. In this project, aquaculture production waste is used to feed the mealworm, which is then used to produce fish feed that re-enters the cycle. We are specifically validating the use of our ingredients in freshwater species such as trout, salmon, carp, and perch.
One of the most ambitious aspects of the new facility is the goal of achieving a negative carbon footprint. What technologies and processes are you implementing to this end? What solutions are you envisioning in terms of renewable energy, circular economy, or waste management?
During the construction of oFarm, an advanced resource utilization strategy has been incorporated that reinforces the company’s commitment to a negative carbon footprint. Instead of discarding the materials extracted during the construction work, we have reused the gravel and soil waste as construction material, reducing external transport and the use of new resources. In addition, all the energy used will come from 100% renewable and self-consumed sources, thanks to a photovoltaic installation that will triple energy self-sufficiency. oFarm will be located in the Puerto Seco of Salamanca (Spain), an intermodal logistics platform connected to the railway network and the main communication routes of the Atlantic Corridor. This location will optimize the transport of raw materials and final products, reducing logistics-related emissions by 30%. This model is complemented by a circular economy that generates zero waste, saves up to 98% of water, and reduces emissions by more than 90% compared to traditional livestock farming, positioning Tebrio as a global leader in green biotechnology and industrial sustainability.
This facility will be one of the pioneering projects applying large-scale automation to insect production. How will automation increase production efficiency, and what technical or logistical challenges did you encounter when designing the process?
Our facility will be one of the pioneering projects applying large-scale automation to insect production. This automation will significantly increase production efficiency through several factors: It will allow for higher working frequency, contribute to cost optimization, and result in more regular and therefore more controllable processes, which will optimize all our production variables. Additionally, by achieving higher productivity with the same consumption of resources and energy, automation contributes to a significant reduction in environmental impact.
In designing this process, we encountered both technical and logistical challenges. The first was the actual definition of the automatizable process. Our prior experience in insect rearing, inherited from the exotic pet food sector, was highly artisanal. In that context, the production cost and large volumes were not relevant factors. To industrialize the rearing process at Tebrio’s scale, it was fundamental to define a completely new production model and to precisely determine which tasks to automate and the methodology for doing so.
The second challenge was strategic: The choice of the automation strategy. Although the simplest automation solution is often the direct substitution of a worker with a robot or an AI (which can operate without rest), this was not the most suitable solution for our needs. Therefore, we had to discard this approach and commit to designing a totally new production process that specifically integrated the technology into our activity.
Finally, this transition specialized staff training. The employee role evolves from manual labor to supervising an automated production process that utilizes special equipment and automata. This demands that our staff possess a higher level of education and training. As a company, we must guarantee this training, either by continuously upskilling existing employees or by hiring personnel who already have the required qualifications.
We have heard that many ventures in the insect protein sector are struggling with financial difficulties. What strategies is Tebrio adopting to make this new facility economically sustainable in the long term? How do you plan to balance investment, operational costs, and market demand?
We have designed a unique technology that has been tested and validated in pilot facilities, proving that the industrial model is viable and highly competitive in terms of costs. In addition, the first module of this large factory is sufficient in metric terms to demonstrate these three variables: Sufficient production to enter target markets, low operating costs for the sale of products in specific niches, and return for investors or to continue building the rest of the modules with own funds depending on the company’s financial decisions.
Finally, what is this farm’s place in Tebrio’s long-term strategy? How does the company see the future of insect production, and how would you describe the impact this facility will have on the industry?
The oFarm plays a key role in our long-term strategy, representing a qualitative leap in capacity and technology for industrial insect production. With a surface area of 90,000 m², this facility will enable us to provide a sustainable solution to the growing global demand for protein.
We see the future of insect production as a key opportunity to complement traditional sources of animal feed and raw materials, contributing to food security and environmental sustainability. In addition, oFarm will set a new standard in circular economy, energy efficiency, and environmental impact reduction, with a negative carbon footprint. The facility will not only drive technological development and innovation in green biotechnology, but will also have a significant socioeconomic impact, generating more than 1,500 direct and indirect jobs and positioning Spanish industry as a global benchmark in the emerging sector of sustainable insect production.
