By Grant Ayers | Photos Provided by Michael Place of Chapul Farms
hapul Farms is an insect agriculture project development company that designs, builds, and operates commercial-scale Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) facilities. Their mission is to restore biodiversity to agriculture, soil, and planet Earth for a more sustainable, resilient, and secure food system. We connected with Michael Place, CTO of Chapul Farms, to discuss the organization’s mission, its environmental goals, how larvae are providing a food-secure future, and much more.
At the age of 20, Michael underwent a transformative health experience centered around fresh food, breaking away from fast food. That led him to become a backyard gardener, beekeeper, and compost enthusiast. Around a dozen years ago, he recognized the potential of insects’ role in our ecosystem and how we can move forward in the world of ag-tech. He noticed that only a few companies worldwide were exploring this concept,
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which pushed him to focus on developing systems within the urban permaculture movement on the East Coast. Over time, Michael’s research into the industry's direction deepened, leading to partnering with Pat Crowley, CEO of Chapul Farms. Their collaboration resulted in the launch of a vision to implement large-scale systems. Notably, their approach also extends benefits to smallholder farmers globally,
Pat Crowley, CEO of Chapul Farms