The Sustainable Materials Used in The World’s Largest Cricket Farm
The 165,000 square-foot Aspire Food Group cricket farm and processing center is the largest facility of its kind in the world. Graduate students from McGill University in Montreal founded the company and are embarking on a major expansion. Aspire Food Group set out to “pioneer sustainable insect agriculture for the good of all” through focusing on creating protein sources that utilize less space and natural resources than traditional farming methods. In 2013, the team won the Hult Prize for social entrepreneurship, securing $1 million in funding for the venture, which eventually became Aspire Food Group.
Its London, Ontario, facility produces almost two billion insects per year for distribution across the United States and Canada as a protein for both people and pets. The facility opened in 2022. EllisDon constructed the cricket farm, in part, using insulated metal panels from Kingspan and has achieved global recognition, as well as funding, from Sustainable Development Technology Canada for its innovative clean technologies.