Insect feed firm boosts global team
AGRIPROTEIN, the South African insect feed pioneer, has appointed two new members to its global leadership team to drive its international business expansion.
The waste-to-nutrient upcycler aims to build a network of 100 insect protein factories by 2024 and 200 by 2027, supplying the $100 billion aquafeed market.
The company moved its global HQ to London on July 1, when Mark Williams joined as group COO and Alan Corr as group CFO.
Jason Drew, CEO of AgriProtein, said: ‘The appointment of Mark Williams and Alan Corr is a watershed for the business.
‘With their outstanding corporate track records, they’re joining at a time when we’re undergoing massive growth. Mark and Alan share our commitment to finding a better way to feed the world and we look forward to having them on board.’
New EU regulations, which came into effect this month, permit the use of insect based nutrients in aquafeed.
Drew said: ‘With the tide of European regulation starting to move in favour of insect protein for animal feed, we felt the time had come to set up our head office in Europe.
‘We opted for London because of its unrivalled position as a global financial centre and access to international markets. Brexit is no barrier for our technology.’
AgriProtein makes sustainable animal feed to replace fishmeal and soy used in aquaculture, agriculture and pet food.
By rearing fly larvae on organic waste which would otherwise go to land- fill, its technology also helps tackle the world’s growing waste crisis.
The company has allocated licences in the US, Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. In February it announced a partnership with Austrian engineers Christof Industries, enabling it to roll out its fly factory blueprint on a turnkey basis anywhere in the world at the rate of 25 per year – more than two per month.
Earlier this year AgriProtein entered the Cleantech Global Top 100 and won a CleanEquity award for its environmental technology research presented by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Last year the company won an AUD 450,000 award for its industrially scalable solution to the depletion of fish stocks in the Indian Ocean in the Australian government backed Blue Economy Challenge.