The Enorm Biofactory in Hvirring (Denmark) has now been inaugurated during an Open House event on St Nicholas’ Day. On the new 22,000 square metre farm, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) will be bred and processed into insect protein and insect oil. Much of the technology installed at Enorm Biofactory was supplied by Better Insect Solutions, a subsidiary of the Big Dutchman group that specialises in complete solutions for insect farming. Better Insect Solutions provided the climate systems for the breeding and growing sections, air cleaning and heat recovery equipment, the liquid feeding system, and the crates for the larvae. Overall, an amount of around EUR 70 million was invested in the project.

“Enorm Biofactory is a milestone for insect farming in Europe and we are delighted that our equipment has made such an important contribution to the success of this lighthouse project,” says Dr. Frank Hiller, CEO of Big Dutchman. “We value this cooperation very highly because the larvae of the black soldier fly have enormous potential. We believe that this alternative protein source can permanently replace a large part of the soy that is currently being imported to Europe.” Accordingly, Big Dutchman has bundled the group’s insect farming know-how in the subsidiary Better Insect Solutions, which was founded in 2020.

Solutions for insect farming

Better Insect Solutions offers various solutions for insect farming. For investors, the experts plan and build entire high-tech insect farms, like the Enorm Biofactory, including the sections for breeding, growing and processing of insects. Better Insect Solutions’ range of highly automated, modular systems for insect growing, on the other hand, is mostly geared towards farmers who are looking to establish insect farming as an additional source of income. For the latter group, Better Insect Solutions cooperates with FarmInsect, Europe’s largest regional insect production network. FarmInsect not only provides consulting services, but also supplies young larvae and markets the fully-grown larvae.

The management team of the Danish Enorm Biofactory includes co-founder and CEO Carsten Lind Pedersen, his daughter Jane Lind Sam, and Arne Holst Lauridsen. Project partners include the Danish DLG Group, a cooperative owned by 25,000 Danish farmers. With its three business areas food, energy and housing, DLG Group has an approximate annual turnover of the equivalent of EUR 10 billion, 65 per cent of which is generated in Germany.

Black soldier fly

Enorm Biofactory breeds black soldier flies that mate and lay eggs from which the larvae hatch. The larvae’s main food source are residues from the regional food industry. After around 12 days, they are processed into insect oil and insect meal; products which have already shown promising results in connection with the management and health of pigs and poultry. The goal is a production of 100 tonnes of larvae per day.