When should you start a BSF farm?

Many entrepreneurs ask me this question. In reality, most are asking it too early.

People often believe the right moment is when the funding is secured. That sounds logical, but I rarely see that being the deciding factor.

The raw materials are not yet fully defined. The first customers are still uncertain. The objectives of the pilot are vague. And the KPIs that should determine whether the business is ready to scale have never been agreed upon.

That is where things usually go wrong.

Build the commercial foundation first

My experience is that commercial BSF projects rarely fail because of the insects. They fail because the commercial foundation wasn’t ready before the investment was made.

That’s why I advise entrepreneurs to wait until three things are clear:

• Your feedstock is secured.
• Your first customers are committed.
• Your pilot has measurable KPIs that define success.

Only then does a pilot become a business tool instead of an expensive experiment.

Starting later may feel like losing time. In practice, it often saves months of delays and a significant amount of investment.

Happily shared by Bob Holtermans, founder of Insect Engineers. For more practical insights about commercial BSF farming and turnkey BSF engineering, visit www.insectengineers.com. Bye, bye, gotta fly!