Probenda is the first German company to be allowed to produce farm animal feed from insects

The EU had recently cleared the way for such a procedure. The company's feed is said to be more regional and sustainable than common protein sources such as soy or fish meal.

The Hessian start-up Probenda GmbH, based in Pfungstadt, was the first and so far only German company to receive the approval required to produce pig and chicken feed from the black soldier fly. The company is dedicated to the production of livestock feed from insects. It was only in September 2021 that the EU Parliament cleared the way for such ventures. Previously, the protein-rich insects could only be used to feed fish in aquacultures.

The company has already been producing protein from the larvae of the fly as animal feed since mid-2021. The company has already built a pilot plant in Pfungstadt. In the plant, the start-up breeds the larvae until they reach their final weight using regional residues. It hopes to produce around 50 tons of protein meal per year. The company's goal was to set up a plant capable of growth and to gain knowledge about the breeding of the black soldier fly. The next plant is already being planned. In this plant the company wants to produce about 1000 tons per year. For this, the founders are now looking for partners and investors.

"With our products, we offer a real alternative to the previously common protein sources, soy and fish meal, in the feed sector" describes Luisa Benning, who founded the company together with your husband Christian Benning at the beginning of 2020. According to the company, the use of regional residues in insect breeding is an important building block for achieving a functioning circular economy in food production.