Two from AgFunderNews, both September 29:
Exclusive: Aspire Food Group’s Ontario cricket farm sold to new owner as firm collapses under debt
According to receiver FTI Consulting, Aspire's London cricket farming facility “did not perform as expected, operating at significantly less than full capacity."
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has approved a deal to sell the assets of struggling insect ag firm Aspire Food Group to Halali Group Holdings, a purchaser with “interests in commercial real estate and food and beverage manufacturing.”
Court documents filed by receiver FTI Consulting do not provide further details but say Halali “intends to explore opportunities to source a commercial tenant for the London facility [a large-scale cricket farming facility in Ontario, Canada] so that it will continue to be used for industrial purposes, including, potentially, the insect agriculture business.”
The two directors at Halali listed in the court filings are Hassan Al-Ali and Hussain Al-Ali.
David Rosenberg—who cofounded vertical farming startup AeroFarms and took on the CEO role at Aspire in late 2023—told AgFunderNews: “This is effectively a negotiated solution with the bank with a funding structure that will allow us to operate under [COO] Gabe Mott. I’m moving on but will still be involved in an advisory role.”....
....MUCH MORE
I don't think crickets are halal:
Halal with conditions
According to scholars it is Halal to eat certain insects under certain conditions:
- Locusts and grasshoppers are Halal to consume.
- If a bug fell in your soup or stew, you can still eat your meal with a tiny amount of insect in it.
- If people do not have access to food and insects are available for consumption, it is permissible to eat insects for survival.
And they are definitely not kosher, again with a possible carve-out for locusts.
Also at AFN:
Ÿnsect wins more time to restructure under court-supervised process; Innovafeed’s US plans ‘very much alive’
The commercial court supervising French insect ag pioneer Ÿnsect as it restructures its operations has extended the observation period until January 12, 2026. Fellow French insect ag firm Innovafeed, meanwhile, says its plans to build a large-scale plant in the US are “very much alive.”
Ÿnsect entered insolvency proceedings in February after failing to secure financing under a safeguard plan agreed with the court in Évry last year, and is currently under judicial administration....
....MUCH MORE
As noted in "I Said I Want "an Omlette," NOT "an Umlaut": "Ÿnsect acquires Protifarm to raise insects for human consumption"
Ÿnsect, the bug breeder with the gratuitous umlaut is really, really on board with the WEF's "Let them eat insects" pitch.
Also:
France's Ÿnsect teams up with LOTTE to explore human food applications for edible insects
....VP communication and public affairs director Anais Maury told AFN: “The potential markets for edible insects in human foods may depend on various factors such as cultural attitudes, regulatory frameworks, and market demand. But overall, people are more open to incorporating insects into their diets.”
And mandates. The power of mandates to force behavior change is immense. We already have our tagline: "When 'nudging' just isn't enough!"
And will be making inquiries about music rights:
