Norwood’s Entomo Farms plans to expand workforce by 38%
NORWOOD — A Norwood business that turns crickets into snacks is set to expand.
Family-owned Entomo Farms, which has received funding through Community Futures Peterborough and the Southern Ontario Fund for Investment in Innovation, is growing through automation and innovation, a press release from the Innovation Cluster states.
“Once again, we are incredibly fortunate to have the support of great Peterborough and Ontario organizations to help us grow our business,” stated Darren Goldin, co-founder of Entomo Farms.
Entomo Farms intends to expand its workforce by 38 per cent within the next year.
The expansion comes after Entomo Farms started to supply their cricket powder to the Loblaw’s chain under the President’s Choice label. This comes as insects-based food catches on worldwide, with Entomo noting that the edible insect market is expected to grow by $1,181.6 million (U.S.) by 2023.
“Community Futures was excited to promote the success of Entomo Farms within the financial community and collaborate with Eastern Ontario CFDC to maximize the available dollars and resources to assist in their expansion of their production facilities,” stated Gail Moorehouse, executive director of Community Futures Peterborough.
The company promotes its products as environmentally beneficial, noting that cricket farms don’t have the impact of beef farms, for instance. Insect-based products can also be used to alleviate food security issues in developing countrie.
A team from Entomo Farms recently visited the Madagascar Biodiversity Centre to develop ways to address hunger issues in the African island country.