Our last presentation to cover is the French company Ÿnsect. Alexis Angot is the general secretary of the company who is farming insects at large scale and producing a product to feed fish.
Agriculture and food has a huge negative impact on the environment. The worldwide population increases and with that the demand for food rises. The startup Ÿnsecthas researched insects and decided to focus on the farming of meal worms. The powder generated from these insects contain 72% protein which makes Ÿnsect product the best option for fish farms. In doing so, Angot and his team were surprised to find that fish which were fed with the high protein food were in a better shape and healthier than those fed with conventional fish food. The mortality rate has been reduced by 45% and the growth of the fish went up to 35%. The company therefore contributes in reducing overfishing.
But it’s not only the ecological impact that makes Angot proud of his company. It’s also the better taste of fish which have been fed with Ÿnsect.
The company has successfully been running a demo farm over the last two years which is highly robotized. The plant is not yet profitable but proofs that the system is working and customers are happy. The next step is to build a profitable bigger plant in the North of Norway. One big step, besides from, was the award of a $25m grant from the European Union.
„A couple of years ago we’ve been seen as crazy. It still is a little bit crazy – but that’s going to be profitable craziness“, Angot finishes his presentation.