Born of a need to innovate whole new sectors of agriculture, Beta Hatch are insect entrepreneurs who grow insects for food, feed, and fertilizer. They see insects as “nature’s most efficient bioreactors”.

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Beta Hatch farm high-protein insects for chicken feed and create balanced and natural fertilizer for plants. The immune boosting benefits of their products mean fewer antibiotics in poultry and less pesticide on our fruits and veggies.

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Their insects are grown on an all-organic diet, sourced from local farmers and suppliers. The farm is an indoor, climate-controlled system that is customized to keep the insects healthy and happy.

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The current species, Tenebrio molitor, is also known as the mealworm or darkling beetle. Larvae (or baby beetles) are harvested right before they transform into pupae, to maximize their protein and fat content. Frass, a technical term for ‘insect manure’ is a natural by-product that is harvested as the insects grow.

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In July 2016 Crosscut interviewed founder Virginia Emery on her vision for how the lowly mealworm can have a profound effect on our environment and perhaps on our ability to feed the world. “In The Future We’ll All Eat Worms”.