Downstream, our main clients are leaders in the animal nutrition sector such as Cargill and ADM. We position ourselves as suppliers of high-quality and sustainable ingredients that are complementary to existing traditional ingredients. Securing long-term contracts with such tier 1 players was key for us to finance our growth. Our ambition is to create a whole new industry and we aim to deliver large-scale impact.
Product Manager
Innovafeed
Founded in 2016, France-based agtech company, Innovafeed, has quickly become one of the biggest companies in the insect industry. Thanks to its collaborations with major global companies in the food value chain and the funding it has received, the company, which first commissioned its industrial-scale production facility in Nesle, France, and recently in Decatur, USA, is strengthening its presence as one of the leading suppliers of insect-based ingredients to the animal nutrition industry. We asked Alex Diana, Product Manager, about all these remarkable growth and developments at Innovafeed. Mr. Diana details everything that our readers are curious about:
As Innovafeed, you made rapid progress despite having been established in 2016. Can you tell us the key to your success?
From the creation of the company in 2016, Innovafeed has followed three rules that were key to its success:
• Give a solution to future scarcity of proteins: Insects, as a sustainable, high-quality source of proteins, are a valid alternative to traditional ingredients for animal nutrition.
• Build an ecosystem of public and private partners to accelerate the growth of the company: Eg., strong relationships enabled us to quickly identify a production site for our first farm in France back in 2017
• Prove quickly that insects can be farmed at an industrial scale: To achieve this, we put a lot of effort into demonstrating our ability to deliver in record time a pilot-scale production site in Gouzeaucourt, France. From there and with our first concrete volumes of insect-based ingredients, we were able to convince our partners Cargill to secure a first long term commitment and Tereos to deploy our first industrial-scale site in Nesle which started to operate in 2020.
You have strategic partnerships with some of the leading companies such as Cargill and ADM. Could you give us some details about the scope and goals of these partnerships?
As suppliers of feed ingredients, we are a new brick in the food value chain and we try to collaborate with all the stakeholders in the chain, up to the end consumer.
Upstream, our industrial strategy is to co-locate our production sites with our suppliers of feedstock, as is the case with Tereos in Nesle, France and with ADM in Decatur, Illinois. This co-location model enables us to save transportation and drying costs which are key to our economic and impact balance. We call this production model “industrial symbiosis”.
Downstream, our main clients are leaders in the animal nutrition sector such as Cargill and ADM. We position ourselves as suppliers of high-quality and sustainable ingredients that are complementary to existing traditional ingredients. Securing long-term contracts with such tier 1 players was key for us to finance our growth. Our ambition is to create a whole new industry and we aim to deliver large-scale impact. In addition, one key aspect of our commercial strategy is to build consumer-facing projects to generate value for all the stakeholders of the value chain by promoting insect ingredients as premium and sustainable sources of nutrients. In 2018, we successfully launched a partnership with Auchan, a major retailer in France, to commercialize trout fed with insect proteins.
You have other facilities in operation and projects in progress since your first pilot production facility in France. Could you give us information about your completed facilities so far and your planned facility investments?
We currently have three sites, two in France and one in the United States:
• Based in Gouzeaucourt (France), our first pilot site is currently being converted into a centre for innovation and technological development to conduct R&D at various scales which will be inaugurated in the second semester of 2024.
• Our industrial-scale production site is based in Nesle (France) and is being progressively extended to reach its maximum capacity of 100,000 T of insect ingredients (of which 15,000 T of proteins).
• Our first site in the US is based in Decatur (Illinois) thanks to our strategic partnership with ADM: a pilot facility was inaugurated on April 18th, 2024 in the presence of local officials, our ecosystem, partners, and media.
Innovafeed has the ambition to expand its model on multiple sites and regions. Our industrial deployment team is screening potential locations globally.
You talk about the largest insect production capacity in the world. Is this what you are capable of with your current size, or a size that will be achieved with the projects you have planned? What is the average production capacity you will reach with the completion of your facility in the US?
As mentioned in the previous question, Innovafeed currently operates 2 production facilities in France for a total capacity of 15kT of insect proteins when all extensions are deployed. We inaugurated April 18th our First Insect Research Center in Decatur, Illinois, which will become one of the world’s largest facility of insect rearing with a potential production capacity of up to 60kT of insect proteins.
Especially your facility in Nesle has a very modern and technological infrastructure. What can you tell us about the equipment and infrastructure at this facility?
Nesle is the combination of unique in-house expertise and advanced technologies that have been developed over the last years and can be summarized over the three following expertise:
• Insect Science: Genetics, zootechnical performance, and R&D to address the specific needs of Black Soldier Fly.
• Data Science:
– Advanced AI Analytics to identify key performance drivers and predict future production,
– World’s largest database on industrial rearing of insects to leverage AI capabilities,
– Powerful data management and BI system to structure and articulate data flows.
• Industrial Automation: Fully integrated automated system leveraging data and automation to optimize operations on a real-time basis 24/7,
– Advanced vertical breeding system,
– In-house HVAC model to optimize zootechnical performance and energy consumption,
– World-class rendering process designed to reach the highest product quality.
Innovafeed’s technology allows the company to have superior products while enabling scalability and continuous innovation.
We notice that you are working on the Hermetia Illucens species. Why did you pick these species? Are there any other species that you are currently farming or plan on farming?
Today, EU regulation authorizes 8 insect species to be farmed for animal nutrition and Hermetia Illucens is one of them. Like ~70% of players in the insect industry, we decided to select this species for several reasons:
• Hermetia illucens larvae are rich in high-quality nutrients – including protein, fats, and minerals.
• With the same amount of food, they gain body mass more rapidly than other insect species (it multiplies its weight by 10,000 in 2 weeks!) and have shorter life cycles, enabling them to improve the economy while lowering our environmental impact.
• This species thrives on a large variety of plant-based feedstocks, allowing us to consider a multitude of possible locations for our farms in the world.
Each insect species requires very specific breeding conditions, so we prioritize our efforts in scaling up our activities with Hermetia illucens. We however consider other species: for example, we have supported the World Mosquito Program in improving their industrial model to farm mosquitos used to reduce the prevalence of diseases like dengue.
Do you rely entirely on by-products for insect farming? Which by-products do you feed the insects with the most?
Innovafeed’s mission is to build more sustainable food systems and we put circularity at the core of our model. We leverage insects as upcyclers to convert low-grade feedstocks into high-quality nutrients. That’s why we have focused on plant-based by-products to feed our larvae.
In addition, our industrial strategy is based on the by-products location: We build our farms where by-products are available in large quantities and where our symbiosis model can be implemented: for example, wheat in Europe, corn in the USA, and palm in South East Asia. Our R&D team dedicates significant efforts to screening feedstocks and optimizing the nutrition of larvae at the best cost.
Lastly, let’s talk a little bit about your insect-based products. We see that you are carrying out innovative works in this field as well. Could you tell us about Innovafeed’s product range, starting with Hilucia™, which you recently launched?
In January 2024, we announced the launch of our Hilucia™ brand. This product range combines the cutting-edge technology of Innovafeed with the natural upcycling power of an exceptional insect, Hermetia illucens, to produce the highest quality ingredients at the lowest environmental cost.
Hilucia™ is our functional product range for animal and plant nutrition. We are also developing new products from our insects which will be progressively released into the market.
About Alex Diana
Alex Diana is a dedicated Product Manager specialized in functional feed ingredients derived from Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens). With a focus on protein ingredient applications for aquaculture, particularly for the salmonids and shrimp, Alex Diana brings a wealth of expertise to the table. Currently situated in Brussels, Belgium, he holds a degree in Marine Biology, with a specialization in aquaculture.
