Singapore home-grown biotechnology start up Ento Industries has secured growth funding from a pair of environmental, social and governance (ESG)-focused private investors Tak Wai CHUNG and Te-LingNAI.
Ento Industries said in a statement on Monday that the funding will expedite the firm’s move to a larger facility and ramp up its production capabilities.
“Our vision is to become the one-stop solution for all kinds of food waste and create a circular economy for our food manufacturing partners,
“With the new facility and proprietary automation system, we can address the growing demand for food waste processing and serve larger clients,” said Nathaniel Phua, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ento Industries.
He also said the valorisation of food waste into insect protein closes the loop on such waste types and addresses the need for more sustainable food sources, particularly for Singapore’s growing aquaculture industry.
Through the utility of insects called Black Soldier Flies (BSF), Ento Industries upcycles food waste to produce a sustainable, high-quality protein product that can be incorporated into animal feed for a wide range of farm animals and pets.
The process also generates insect frass which is processed into a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer for use in gardening and crop farming.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to contribute to the growth of Ento,
“With the strong network of suppliers, partners and customers Ento Induestries has developed, we believe it is well-positioned to unlock value from discarded food waste,” said Chung.
“We recognize Ento Industries’ contribution to our environment, food ecosystem and security, and sustainability and look forward to working with Nathaniel and his team on this meaningful venture,” he added.
Ento Industries is a yellow biotechnology company that uses insects and technology to redefine traditional practices of organic waste management by transforming low value organic waste into high value feed and fertilizers for the pet, gardening and agriculture industries.
The company’s proprietary systems are designed with the biology of the insects in mind to create a controlled environment that optimizes production cleanly and sustainably.
Supported by local food waste management company Tiong Lam Supplies, Ento Industries was founded with a mission to resolve the society’s spiraling food-waste problem by expanding the number of food waste streams that can be upcycled and leveraging on technologies to process the waste.
Cited National Environmental Agency, Ento Industries said food waste accounted for 12 percent of all waste generated in Singapore and the 817,000 tonnes of food waste that was generated in 2021 was a 23 percent increase from 2020.
With its compelling mission, Ento Industries has received strong endorsement as an awardee of financial grants such as the DBS Foundation Social Enterprise Grant and the Enterprise Singapore Enterprise Development Grant (EDG).
Ento Industries has also established strong partnerships with various institutions and organizations including National University of Singapore, Republic Polytechnic, ITE College Central and Singapore Agrotechnologies, for the development of new products and streamlining of its operations processes.
Incorporated in 1994, Tiong Lam is a food waste management company in Singapore that works with food production companies in Singapore to manage the food waste that is produced from their production operations.
The company processes these waste types to produce materials for their customers in the agriculture, biofuel and other related industries.