Agronutris is a startup developing industrial insect farming for food and fertilizer. Founded in 2011, it has closed a €50 million funding round with investors in 2021.
Agronutris: industrial insect farming
The Toulouse-based company raises mainly black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia Illucens).
The insects are then processed into three products:
- a flour, “ultra’in”, “produced from de-lipped and dehydrated black soldier fly larvae”, suitable for aquaculture and pets.
- oil, “Liboost”, obtained by “delipidation of insect proteins”, rich in lauric acid, an easily digestible saturated fatty acid.
- a fertilizer, “Fairtil”, derived from the droppings of black soldier fly larvae and rich in macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, NPK).
They also systemically reared mealworms (Tenebriomolitor) and crickets(Gryllodes sigillatus), but the black soldier fly was more competitive. The variables are numerous, both in terms of insect biology (mating, oviposition, hatching, growth, metamorphosis) and environmental technology (temperature, hygrometry, density, gassing, air treatment).
It would be interesting to have an “input-output” balance to better understand the ecological interest of this approach.
The mealworm could nevertheless be produced for human consumption.
Human food
The human food market is much more difficult to access. Regulations are much stricter. The startup would be “the first company in Europe authorized to market insects for human consumption”. (1)
The second obstacle is psychological reluctance. However, this could be very slight when compared, for example, with flour or processed products. There is also the question of price.
Agronutris, the company
In 2012, insect proteins for aquaculture and petfood were authorized in the European Union.
In 2015, they obtained ISO 22000 certification
In 2019, they secured a grant of 8.3 million euros, which helped finance their first plant, which would be located in Réthel.
In September 2021, Agrinutris raised
- 50 million euros from the SPI fund, Mirova, Nutergia Group, Crédit Agricole Nord-Est and business angel Bertrand Jelensperger
- 10 million euros under the France Relance plan
- 40 million euros in loans
The funds raised will enable the company to deploy two industrial units capable of converting 280,000 tonnes of bio-residues per year into insects. The first, at Rethel in the Ardennes, is due to open in late 2022. (1)
- (1) https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/agronutris-leve-100-millions-d-euros-pour-industrialiser-la-fabrication-de-produits-a-base-d-insectes.N1145947