nextProtein expands production in Tunisia
The insect player received €18 million to expand its capacity to 2,500 tons of protein powder per year.
French insect player nextProtein raised €18 million ($19.8M) in its Series B funding round, which closed on 4 November 2025.
The capital injection will scale the company’s operations by opening a second production facility in Tunisia, which will produce 12,000 tons of insect-based ingredients annually, including 2,500 tons of protein powder.
“The financing includes €14 million ($15.4M) in equity and €4 million ($4.4M) in debt, targeted at ramping up operations and achieving profitability through the new Tunisian facility,” Syrine Chaalala, Co-founder and Managing Director of nextProtein, tells GlobalPETS.
The plant is expected to be fully operational in 2027, when profitability is expected to be achieved.
The funding round was led by French private equity firm Swen Capital’s Blue Ocean Fund and the British International Investment. It received support from existing investors.
Strategic partnerships
The increased production is expected to leverage the country’s “dynamic ecosystem to build strategic partnerships with universities, research centers and companies supporting its R&D and process innovation,” Chaalala adds.
The insect player will collaborate with the Higher Institute of Biotechnology Sidi Thabet, the Center of Biotechnology of Borj Cédria and the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia in areas across poultry, fish nutrition and agronomic sciences.
The next step is to expand nextProtein’s international footprint. “This growth is part of an ongoing scale-up, with a long-term goal to reach 100,000 tons annual production in the coming years,” adds the Co-founder.
The company has a framework set up for Mexico, Morocco and Southeast Asia to fulfill market demand.
Company background
Founded in 2015, nextProtein produces insect-based protein and oil for animal feed ingredients from black soldier fly larvae.
Since its inception, it has raised a total of $33.3 million (€30.3M), comprising a $1.4 million (€1.3M) seed round in 2016, $11.2 million (€10.2M) in Series A in 2020, and the latest Series B round, according to private market intelligence and startup research platform Tracxn.
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