InnovaFeed SAS, a French

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

company founded in 2016, develops insect-breeding and -processing processes. It sells ingredients derived from insects for animal nutrition and in particular aquaculture. Through production of a new source of protein, InnovaFeed aims to participate in the development of sustainable aquaculture. Capture fisheries and aquaculture require an increasing supply of proteins and lipids adapted to the nutritional needs of fish. InnovaFeed has the objective of setting up local production systems. This is made possible by the exclusive use of agricultural

by-product A by-product or byproduct is a secondary product derived from a production process, manufacturing process or chemical reaction; it is not the primary product or service being produced. A by-product can be useful and marketable or it can be consid ...

s to feed its insects, generating no additional impact on natural resources consumption. In addition, insect droppings are valued as organic fertilizers.

History

Creation

InnovaFeed was created in 2016 by 4 engineers, Clément Ray, Guillaume Gras, Aude Guo and Bastien Oggeri, whose objective was to find alternatives feedstocks. Today, Clément Ray, Bastien Oggeri and Aude Guo are running the company.

Industrial deployment

In June 2016, InnovaFeed joined a scientific hub called Évry's

Genopole Genopole is a French research centre in Évry-Courcouronnes focused on biotherapies, genetics, genomics, post-genomics, xenobiology and the development of biotechnology industries. As of 2018, it contains 17 academic research laboratories, 87 ...

, which enabled it to pursue several research and development projects and to develop its technology. Since October 2017, it has been operating a pilot production unit located near

Gouzeaucourt Gouzeaucourt () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It was the scene of fierce fighting during World War I, and is mentioned in the poem "The Irish Guards" by Rudyard Kipling. There are 916 casualties from several nations inte ...

(France 59) in the Cambrésis region to validate its industrial scale processes and to start commercializing its products. On 27 September 2018, InnovaFeed publicly announced the construction of a new production site in

Nesle Nesle () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Nesle is situated at the junction of the D930 and D337 roads, some southwest of Saint-Quentin. The Ingon, a small stream, passes through the commun ...

with a capacity of 10,000 tons of insect protein per year. This future production unit will be implemented next to the

Tereos Tereos is a cooperative conglomerate, primarily active in the processed agricultural raw materials, in particular sugar, alcohol and starch markets. The company is headquartered in Moussy-le-Vieux, France. History In 1932, the Origny-Sainte- ...

Group's starch manufacture in order to allow industrial synergies between the two sites: by-product

upcycling Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality, such as artistic value or environmental value ...

, energy and logistical savings. On Monday, May 21, 2019, was laid the foundation stone of the site of Nesle. InnovaFeed announced that by 2022, five new plants will be deployed on the same model as the Nesle site.

Funding

InnovaFeed first funding round in mid-February 2018 enabled it to secure €15 million from a group of investors led by AlterEquity, a fund that invests in companies whose activities address a major social or environmental challenge. In November 2018, InnovaFeed announced that it had completed a second round of funding, securing an additional €40 million. The transaction involved a group of European and Asian investors led by Creadev. This investment will enable to strengthen the team as well as support and accelerate InnovaFeed's industrial development on several new production sites.

Business development

In 2017, InnovaFeed entered in a partnership with the French retailer

Auchan Auchan () is a French multinational retail group headquartered in Croix, France. It was founded in 1961 by Gérard Mulliez and is owned by the Mulliez family, who has 95% stake in the company. With 354,851 employees, of which 261,000 have 5% s ...

to collaborate on the development of new value chains to deliver insect-fed fish. Auchan first approached the trout industry, an emblematic species of French Aquaculture. In June 2018, the first insect-fed trout were commercialized in Auchan Retail France stores as part of a trial. On July 3, 2018, a tasting of the first trout fed with an insect protein-based feed was organized in partnership with Auchan Retail France. Thetwo Michelin star chef Remy Giraud from the Domaine of Hauts de Loire who prepared the trout said “The insect-fed trout has better conservation, a meat that is more durable. And for the taste, the insect-fed one is much superior and has an excellent texture in the mouth.” Since November 2018, the “insect-fed” trout have been available continuously in 52 Auchan stores in the Ile-de-France and Nord Littoral regions with the plan to expand the scope of the project to the rest of France by the end of 2019.So Black soldier fly(BSF) Farming is famous in the world

Technology

Black Soldier fly (''Hermetia illucens'')

The insect used in the InnovaFeed process is the larvae of the Black Soldier Fly (''

Hermetia illucens ''Hermetia illucens'', the black soldier fly, is a common and widespread fly of the family Stratiomyidae. Distribution This species is native to the Neotropical realm, but in recent decades has spread across all continents, becoming virtuall ...

''). This insect species has been approved by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

for animal feed breeding because it does not transmit pathogen for humans and is non-aggressive.

Breeding techniques

The by-products used to feed the insects do not generate the consumption of additional natural resources and do not compete with human food. Insect droppings are used as a natural fertilizer for local organic agriculture.

Industrial processes and quality

InnovaFeed is approved by local authorities for the processing of Category 3 (L) animal by-products in accordance with art. 24.1.a of document CE 1069/2009 (FR 59 269 001).

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://innovafeed.com/en/ Biotechnology companies of France French brands Insect farming companies Animal food manufacturers Agriculture companies established in 2016 French companies established in 2016