NamSnails, based on 38 ha of land in the outside Swakopmund, is the first fully climate-controlled, large-scale snail farming venture in the country and on the continent. The 25 000-square-metre greenhouse facility uses an innovative curtain production system with each 5 000-squaremetre unit, three of which has been fully developed.
The units are divided into sections that regulate temperature, wind and humidity, thus enabling year-round production. Originally conceived by Israeli entrepreneurs, the farm relocated to Namibia after regulatory and funding challenges abroad. Swakopmund was chosen for its moderate average temperatures.
However, the first harvest failed when climate extremes proved unsuited to open-air snail parks. When snails are harvested from the wild and farmed in open fields, production is vulnerable to natural predators and especially weather, which forces the snails into hibernation to survive the winter.
The solution was a fully climate-controlled greenhouse system that manages the growth environment using misting, ventilation and heating. According to Andre, the outside and inside temperatures differ by about 8 °C. The farm began in 2022. To accelerate the first breeding cycles, broodstock was sourced from Greece and Georgia, while juvenile snails were also imported from Lithuania.
The first shipment of live snails from Namibian-based NamSnails is expected in South Africa at the end of September. According to NamSnails CEO Andre Mouton, the first shipment of two tons or about 100 000 live snails will make up the shipment. NamSnails specialises in farming snails in a climate-controlled farming system outside Swakopmund. The project is valued at about N$140 million and is structured with South African financing partners.
The enterprise arm aims to boost sustainable protein production in the country and gain access to South Africa and eventually European food and cosmetics markets. Although Morocco is Africa’s largest snail producer, NamSnails is the biggest climate-controlled snail farming project of its kind on the continent.
NamSnails has created more than fifty jobs in Swakopmund and plans to expand its number of employees as production increases. (Source: NamSnails Facebook)
Juvenile snails are transferred to growing parks where they are fed formulated pellets, Chinese cabbage and kale. (Source: NamSnails Facebook)
NamSnails
NamSnails breeds, hatches and fattens Helix aspersa Müller and Helix aspersa Maxima for human consumption, as well as processing for meat, slime and shells. Customer demand decides the choice of species.
Eggs are hatched in incubation rooms, and juveniles are transferred to growing parks where they are fed formulated pellets, Chinese cabbage and kale. Workers harvest snails after three to four months of growth. The first harvesting season started in July. The aim is to produce a rate of 1 000 kilograms per day. Since harvesting
is no longer curbed by seasonality, production can be continuous, with the focus on improved efficiency and maximum production.
Before shipment, the snails are purged and induced into hibernation in cold rooms, packed in crates and ready for export to regional and international buyers. The snails are thus exported in the hibernated state; in this state, they can survive up to three years. According to Andre, the system is fully traceable that allows tracking the snail batches from the mother snails and the rooms in which they were bred to the export destination.
NamSnails has created more than fifty jobs in Swakopmund and plans to expand its number of employees as production increases. At present, the farm is operating at 60% capacity but hopes to expand it to full capacity by the end of 2026.
The 25 000-square-metre greenhouse facility uses an innovative curtain production system with each 5 000-square-metre unit, three of which has been fully developed. (Source: NamSnails Facebook)
Certification
NamSnails secured certification from the from the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS), which allows it to export the snails to South Africa and European Union countries. It is now working towards obtaining an EU import number, which will allow it to expand into regions where demand for high-quality snails is significantly higher than locally in Namibia.
“DVS is currently conducting the application process to present our facilities to the EU in order for NamSnails to get their European import number,” says Andre, who described the step as critical towards meeting international standards, particularly for the European market.
According to Andre, local consumption remains largely limited to high-end restaurants, but while positioning Namibia as a competitive exporter, NamSnails is also looking into ways to grow domestic demand.
The company would like to produce 600 tons a year by running multiple growth cycles annually. Unlike in European operations, greenhouse controls allow the Namibian farm to produce during winter, which allows NamSnails to produce two seasons a year, with a possibility of three.
Since snails are a food product, the farm must adhere to veterinary and public health protocols and HACCP principles are followed on the farm. Namibia’s directorate of veterinary services has inspected and certified the facility, clearing it for regional exports while EU approvals are pursued. For now, NamSnails exports only live snails, similar to cattle farms selling stock to abattoirs.
NamSnails aim to produce snails at a rate of 1 000 kilograms per day. (Source: NamSnails Facebook)
Markets
According to Mouton the aim is to establish a Namibian abattoir for producing derivate products, including protein and eventually produce derivative products such as protein powders and slime extract for cosmetics.
As snail meat has a higher protein content than many other meats, it is attractive as a delicacy, but also as a future protein source. Countries such as France, Spain, Italy and Greece has a long history of eating snails as delicacy.
In Asia, snail slime is used in cosmetics and treatments. Most global supply still comes from wild harvesting, but volumes are declining due to over-utilisation and environmental pressures.
NamSnails regards its model of intensive, climate-controlled, and traceable farming as an opportunity to fill the gap elsewhere. Although commercial production of snails is a new industry with many pitfalls, Andre hopes that over time the goals will be reached.
Before shipment, the snails are purged and induced into hibernation in cold rooms, packed in crates and ready for export to regional and international buyers. (Source: NamSnails Facebook)
Source references
De Jager, L. (2025) The secret’s in the slime Business Live https://www.businesslive.co.za/fm/features/africa/2025-06-26-the-secrets-in-the-slime/
Hartman, A. (2025) Namibia’s snail farm prepares for first export. Namibia Sun
https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/namibia-s-snail-farm-prepares-for-first-export/ar-AA1N82kA
Namibian snail farm eyes EU and South African export markets (2025) The Brief
https://thebrief.com.na/2025/09/namibian-snail-farm-eyes-eu-and-south-african-export-markets/
NamSnails CEO Andre Mouton announced that the first shipment of two tons or about 100 000 live snails would be exported to South Africa at the end of September. (Source: NamSnails Facebook)
