December 4, 2017

AgriProtein lauded as top "business disruptor" for feed alternative innovation

Waste-to-nutrient up-cycler AgriProtein has been named a top 10 "Virgin Media Business Disruptor to Watch in the Fast Track 2017".

The company is pioneering an emerging industry which uses flies and their larvae to convert food waste into sustainable protein that can serve as replacement of fishmeal in aquaculture, farmed animal feed and pet food.

"We are delighted to name AgriProtein as one of the UK's most disruptive businesses.  They have seen an opportunity and made it their purpose to disrupt long-established markets and practices, creating an entirely new industry to great success," said Peter Kelly, managing director of Virgin Media Business.

The company has fly farm projects under development in several countries to produce its flagship product MagMeal™ for the $100 billion aqua feed market and eventually, for poultry, pigs and pet food.  EU regulations have permitted the use of insect-based nutrients in aqua feed since July 1 this year, while other regions have already permitted their wider use in agriculture and pet food.

Employing a factory roll-out model which is developed with global engineering firm Christof Industries, AgriProtein is able to deliver fly farms on a turnkey basis anywhere in the world at the rate of up to 25 factories per year. 

"Our success is the fruit of eight years of perseverance in the face of failure," said Jason Drew, AgriProtein co-founder and CEO. "Soon, people will consider the up-cycling of nutrients just as normal as they consider the recycling of paper, plastics, metals and glass to be today. The bigger we get, the greater the benefit to the environment."

The company is building a profitable business through its circular economy strategy: using organic waste to tackle the food security challenges posed by the world's growing population, while helping to conserve wild-fish stocks in affected oceans.

In September, MagMeal™ was named the BBC Food Chain Global Champion 2017 for helping secure the future of food while delivering significant environmental benefits.

Earlier this year, AgriProtein entered the Global Cleantech Top 100 and won a CleanEquity award for its environmental technology research.

Last year, its industrially-scalable solution to the depletion of fish stocks in the Indian Ocean won the Australian government's Blue Economy Challenge 2016.