Volare Strengthens Leadership Team with CCO and COO Appointments to Drive Construction of the World’s Most Efficient Protein Plant
Pori/Helsinki, FINLAND – September 30, 2025 – Volare, the Finnish biotech company transforming food industry side streams into sustainable ingredients, has appointed Benjamin Armenjon as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and Antti Åke as Chief Operating Officer (COO). These hires further strengthen Volare’s leadership as the company scales to full industrial production.
Benjamin Armenjon brings over ten years of experience in insect-based ingredients. Holding a PhD in Food Science, he spent a decade at Ÿnsect, most recently serving as CCO. At Volare, he will lead commercial strategy, global partnerships, and customer-focused growth.
Antti Åke has extensive expertise in scaling industrial operations, having led international teams across Europe and Asia with Bayer and Covestro. Most recently, he served as CEO of WasteWise Group, where he built and scaled a pyrolysis plant. At Volare, Åke will oversee plant operations and lead the company’s expanding team.
Volare is building the world’s most efficient and already commercially proven way to produce sustainable protein at scale. At the core of its breakthrough technology is the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), which upcycles food industry side streams into protein, oil, and fertilizer. Volare’s products are used in the aquafeed, pet food, and chemical industries.
The new leadership appointments will help the company move faster toward its mission of building a more resilient, circular food system. The new appointments follow Volare’s recent €26 million funding round, which is being used both to construct Volare 01 in Pori, the company’s first large-scale protein production facility, and to advance its proprietary insect protein technology. Once operational, Volare 01 is set to become the world’s most efficient protein production site.
Benjamin Armenjon, Chief Commercial Officer at Volare, said: “The food industry urgently needs scalable solutions. Volare is uniquely positioned to deliver insect-based ingredients that reduce pressure on natural resources while creating real value for customers. Sustainability and growth can go hand in hand, and that’s exactly what we’re proving.”
Antti Åke, Chief Operating Officer at Volare, said: “Volare is entering a decisive phase, moving from technology development to full-scale industrial operations. This is a rare opportunity to both scale innovative technology and create meaningful impact in the global food system. I look forward to applying my experience to make Volare’s vision a reality.”
Jarna Hyvönen, Chief Executive Officer at Volare, said: “Welcoming Benjamin and Antti to the team marks a major step in Volare’s journey. We are building the next generation of insect protein production: lean, effective, and designed to scale sustainably. With our first industrial plant under construction, this is exactly the leadership we need to deliver on our mission.”
About Volare
Volare is a Finnish science-based company developing and deploying technology to turn food industry side streams into sustainable insect protein, oil and fertilizers on an industrial scale. Volare’s products replace unsustainable alternatives and make the food system circular. Volare was founded in 2021 and will start building the first industrial scale plant in 2025 in Finland.
For more information, please contact:
Jarna Hyvönen, CEO, Volare
jarna@volare.fi
Hilla Uotila, Bamla Agency
hilla@bamla.agency
