AgriProtein

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AgriProtein
Typeprivate
Industryinsect industry, feed manufacturing
Founded2008
HeadquartersGuildford, England, UK
Websitehttps://agriprotein.com

AgriProtein is a British agricultural and biotechnology company that uses insects to convert food waste into sustainable products including: an alternative protein for use in livestock and aquaculture feed, a natural oil for use in animal feed, and an organic soil enhancer. The company was founded in 2008 in South Africa. AgriProtein is a subsidiary of the Insect Technology Group.

Products[]

Black soldier fly larvae

Currently, AgriProtein breeds black soldier fly larvae on food waste from a variety of sources including restaurants and supermarkets. After they pupate, the larvae are processed into MagMeal™ - a sustainable, high quality protein that can be fed to all monogastric animals such as chickens, pigs, fish[1][2][3] and pets.[4] The company also produces an oil (MagOil™) that can be used in aquaculture and pet food. MagOil™ also presents a unique alternative to less sustainable oils such as palm oil. Lastly, the company produces an organic soil conditioning product called MagSoil™.[5][6]

History[]

AgriProtein was founded in 2008 to provide an ecologically sound replacement for fishmeal, which is increasingly expensive because of the depletion of fish stocks.[3][7] The AgriProtein process is noteworthy in that it diverts organic waste from landfills.[8] After consultation with a researcher at Stellenbosch University, a presentation at Tedx in 2011, and approximately five years of development, the company opened its first commercial factory in 2015[8][7] in Philippi,[9] near Cape Town International Airport. They received $11 million in initial investment funding,[1] including two grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.[5]

Under a partnership instituted in February 2017 with  [de], an Austrian engineering company, AgriProtein plans to establish standardised industrial-scale factories globally.[5][6][8][10] In 2018, they raised $105 million in funding,[4][5][11] the 18th largest recorded agricultural technology deal[3] and the largest in the insect farming sector at the time,[12] and agreed to buy Millibeter, a Belgian company in Turnhout.[13][14]

They were awarded the 2013 United Nations Innovation Prize for Africa,[7] have won the Australian Government's Blue Economy Challenge,[7] were named a Global Cleantech 100 company in both 2017 and 2018,[11] in 2017 were the first Food Chain Global Champion in the BBC Food & Farming Awards,.[7][15][16] They were also included in Time's first annual list of "top 50 Genius Companies" in 2018.[17][18]

AgriProtein have licensees worldwide and research centres studying fly genetics, insect breeding, and production of antibiotics for feed from larval proteins.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Aryn Baker (16 April 2015). "How One South African Entrepreneur Hopes to Make Millions From Maggots". Time.
  2. ^ Emily Thomas (22 September 2017). "Could maggots save global food supplies?" (video, 2 mins 56 secs). BBC News.
  3. ^ a b c Owen Evans (12 July 2018). "Are flies the future of sustainable salmon feed?". Salmon Business.
  4. ^ a b Liam Kelly (23 June 2018). "Fly farmer AgriProtein's £80m to spread wings". The Times.
  5. ^ a b c d Andrea Lo (27 September 2018) [September 20, 2018]. "Two brothers want to revolutionize the food industry with maggots". CNN.
  6. ^ a b c Sue Grant-Marshall (14 March 2017). "Working with nature to help feed the world". BusinessDay.
  7. ^ a b c d e Dan Anthony (5 June 2018). "International innovation: how inventiveness can save the world" (blog). Intellectual Property Office, United Kingdom.
  8. ^ a b c Irma Venter (11 August 2017). "AgriProtein assessing two new fly-farming sites in South Africa". Engineering News.co.za.
  9. ^ "About Us". AgriProtein. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  10. ^ "AgriProtein and Christof Industries in $10 Million Deal to Roll Out 100 Fly Farms". Food Ingredients First. 13 February 2017.
  11. ^ a b Elizabeth Green (5 June 2018). "AgriProtein secures US$105m investment in insect protein sector". Food Ingredients First.
  12. ^ Louisa Burwood-Taylor (4 June 2018). "AgriProtein Raises $105m for Insect Farms". AgFunder News.
  13. ^ Jane Byrne (3 December 2018). "AgriProtein buys Belgian insect protein producer". Feed Navigator.
  14. ^ "AgriProtein (UK) acquires insect firm Millibeter". Flanders Investment & Trade. 12 December 2018.
  15. ^ Rob Fletcher (22 September 2017). "Insect meal pioneer scoops BBC Food & Farming Award". The Fish Site.
  16. ^ Emily Thomas (20 September 2017). "The Maggot Masters". The Food Chain (audio, 27 mins). BBC World Service.
  17. ^ "Feed firm AgriProtein named a 'Time genius'". Undercurrent News. 5 October 2018.
  18. ^ "Genius Companies 2018: AgriProtein: Turning waste into food". Time. October 2018.

External links[]

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