#6 Innovative business case: Hermetia (DE)
- Sustainable alternative for the production of proteins
- Economic development of rural areas (50+ employees)
- Creation of skilled jobs for young people
The world is revaluating the incredible potential of insects and their role in people’s or animals’ diet as experts underline the remarkable advantages of these ‘new’ kind of proteins. Their production uses fewer resources and generates lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to animal farming - and it’s cheaper and nutritious!
German company Hermetia is a pioneer in this business, having started as early as 2005. Its activity consists of rearing fly larvae, which are rich in proteins, and turning them into animal feed. Hermetia is selling its insect-based feed mainly for dogs and cats, but also caters for several fish species, poultry, pigs, birds and reptiles, thanks to the high presence of amino acids.
The company today has over 50 employees and has a reputation for creating very attractive positions for young and skilled people in a rural area where job opportunities are scarce.
The company is also expanding its business in other parts of the Brandenburg region and they received several requests to cooperate with companies in Portugal, Italy, Russia, Egypt, South Korea and more.
The main obstacle lays in legislation, or better said, the lack of it. Being a very new sector, policy-makers have not yet provided clear rules to guide the production and marketing of such products.
This severely restricts the possibilities of companies and hinders their market development. Despite this, Hermetia represents a successful example, having harvested profits for the 12th year in a row.
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