The brief

Analyst view

• Nesle plant produced 15,000 tons insect protein in 3 years; costs fell 7x, volumes rose 10x.
• EUR 51M Series C funding (June 2026) backs scaling beyond pet food into livestock feed.
• ADM partnership: 60,000-ton Illinois facility using corn byproducts, waste heat from adjacent plant.

Technical approach

As reported

Breeding

Hermetia illucens larvae

Black soldier fly larvae convert organic waste into protein and fat. Innovafeed breeds optimized strains and automates hatchery and rearing systems.

Feed source

Organic waste and byproducts

Larvae feed on food waste and byproducts. Illinois facility uses corn processing residues from adjacent ADM plant.

Byproducts

Protein, oils, and fertilizer

After protein and oil extraction, remaining biomass becomes fertilizer. The Nesle facility produces 400,000 tons of fertilizer annually.

Sustainability

Lower footprint than conventional protein

Insect farming uses 95% less land and 50% less water than fish farming per ton of protein, with lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Show all 4