diff --git a/swh/vault/cookers/__init__.py b/swh/vault/cookers/__init__.py
--- a/swh/vault/cookers/__init__.py
+++ b/swh/vault/cookers/__init__.py
@@ -122,10 +122,8 @@
         else:
             graph = None
 
-    return cooker_cls(
-        swhid,
-        backend=backend,
-        storage=storage,
-        graph=graph,
-        max_bundle_size=cfg["max_bundle_size"],
-    )
+    kwargs = {
+        k: v for (k, v) in cfg.items() if k in ("max_bundle_size", "thread_pool_size")
+    }
+
+    return cooker_cls(swhid, backend=backend, storage=storage, graph=graph, **kwargs,)
diff --git a/swh/vault/cookers/base.py b/swh/vault/cookers/base.py
--- a/swh/vault/cookers/base.py
+++ b/swh/vault/cookers/base.py
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@
         graph=None,
         objstorage=None,
         max_bundle_size: int = MAX_BUNDLE_SIZE,
+        thread_pool_size: int = 10,
     ):
         """Initialize the cooker.
 
@@ -90,6 +91,7 @@
         self.objstorage = objstorage
         self.graph = graph
         self.max_bundle_size = max_bundle_size
+        self.thread_pool_size = thread_pool_size
 
     @classmethod
     def check_object_type(cls, object_type: ObjectType) -> None:
diff --git a/swh/vault/cookers/git_bare.py b/swh/vault/cookers/git_bare.py
--- a/swh/vault/cookers/git_bare.py
+++ b/swh/vault/cookers/git_bare.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 import enum
 import glob
 import logging
+import multiprocessing.dummy
 import os.path
 import re
 import subprocess
@@ -53,7 +54,7 @@
 
 RELEASE_BATCH_SIZE = 10000
 REVISION_BATCH_SIZE = 10000
-DIRECTORY_BATCH_SIZE = 10000
+DIRECTORY_BATCH_SIZE = 10000  # should be at least ~10x larger than THREAD_POOL_SIZE
 CONTENT_BATCH_SIZE = 100
 
 
@@ -524,8 +525,12 @@
         return self.write_object(release["id"], git_object)
 
     def load_directories(self, obj_ids: List[Sha1Git]) -> None:
-        for obj_id in obj_ids:
-            self.load_directory(obj_id)
+        if not obj_ids:
+            return
+
+        with multiprocessing.dummy.Pool(min(self.thread_pool_size, len(obj_ids))) as p:
+            for _ in p.imap_unordered(self.load_directory, obj_ids):
+                pass
 
     def load_directory(self, obj_id: Sha1Git) -> None:
         # Load the directory