With acute malnutrition affecting more than 10% of people in Burkina Faso, an innovative startup is mass-producing dried shea caterpillars high in protein

Small black cylinders simmer in two pots, emitting a pungent and smoky smell.

This is not someone’s kitchen, however. It is the offices of agrifood company FasoPro, which double as a caterpillar laboratory.

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Kahitouo Hien walks hastily from one room to another, his T-shirt bearing an unusual slogan: “Small caterpillars, big pleasure.”

“Caterpillars are made up of more than 60% protein,” says Hien. “They are among the most nutritious foods available in Burkina Faso.”

According to the World Food Programme, acute malnutrition in Burkina Faso stands at 10.4%.

Poor harvests, caused by drought, mean there is a lack of food and diverse nutrients in the country. Hien aims to change that. In 2015, he set up an improvised laboratory in Ouagadougou to industrialise the production of shea caterpillars – insects that feed on the leaves of shea trees.

Shea caterpillars are set to be produced on an industrial scale in Burkina Faso. Photograph: Courtesy of Grand Challenges Canada

Traditionally eaten in many parts of Burkina Faso, caterpillars are now sold at markets throughout the country as a tasty treat. But no one had thought of industrialising their production until now, says Hien.

Hien decided to start his business while studying engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2011. “I wrote a business plan on caterpillars because I’ve been eating them since childhood,” he says.

Hien’s tutor encouraged him to take part in the university’s global social venture competition, and he went on to win the prize for best social startup in 2012. Armed with the prize and his degree, Hien worked on developing his business for two years before finally selling his first caterpillars to market traders.

“It didn’t start off well,” he recalls. “Our price – 3,000 Central African francs (about £4) for one 500g pack of fresh caterpillars – was just too high.”

He came up with a solution the day his steriliser broke down. “Bags of fresh caterpillars were piling up and the insects were drying out,” Hien said. “We had to find a way to shift them.”

In January 2016, he launched a new product: dried caterpillars. At 650 francs (85p) for a 70g pack, the crunchy caterpillars were an instant hit. “We sold 30,000 units last year, and hope to hit 100,000 this year,” he says.

Yelo Kam, one of his six employees, meticulously cuts labels for caterpillar bags. “Kahitouo is an ambitious man, a visionary,” she says, without lifting her eyes from her work. “You have to be brave to hang in there.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Women collect fallen shea fruit, used for making shea butter and oil, in Burkina Faso, Africa. Photograph: Jake Lyell/Alamy

Hien’s venture was given €42,000 (£36,000) in 2016 after winning a French competition that rewards social initiatives. “The money will allow us to attend regional fairs, as well as to find markets and partners in west Africa,” he says.

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Hien still pursues his first passion: research. For several months, his team has been working on ways to breed caterpillars in a controlled environment, rather than in nature.



“Once mature, caterpillars normally hide in the ground to grow – a stage that is only possible in porous soil,” Hien explains. “Yet with soils drying up, caterpillars are becoming rarer.”

While initial results are encouraging, the company needs more funds to finish its research, but the road ahead does not scare Hien. “I like taking risks. Challenges spur me on.” And he’s already thinking of his next prototype: a cricket biscuit.