- A new extended range with the launch of 2 new solutions:
- an insect Protein for Poultry and Swine (monogastrics): Hilucia™ protein for Monogastrics
- an insect Oil for aquaculture: Hilucia™ oil for Aqua
- Hilucia™: The most comprehensive range with solutions tailored to each market.
Paris, February 26, 2024 – In order to support the acceleration of its production and sales growth, which more than doubled in 2023, Innovafeed today unveils its new brand Hilucia™, redesigning its offer around a complete range of high-quality ingredients for animal and plant nutrition, with minimal environmental impact.
Hilucia™ embodies the combination of the exceptional upcycling capabilities of the Hermetia illucens larvae with the cutting-edge technology developed by Innovafeed’s teams.
“Enhanced and expanded with two new products – Protein for Monogastrics and Oil for Aqua – the Hilucia™ range reaffirms Innovafeed’s anchoring and leadership in its four main markets: pets (Hilucia™ for pets), livestock (Hilucia™ for monogastrics), aquaculture (Hilucia™ for aqua), and agriculture (Hilucia™ for plants).”
Elizaveta Le Floch, Chief Business Officer of Innovafeed
The culmination of several years of development
The Hilucia™ range is the result of an extensive effort made in recent years by Innovafeed’s teams and is based on four fundamentals:
- Strategic partnerships developed with major players in each industry such as Cargill for aquaculture (insect proteins), Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) for pet food (insect proteins and oils), and Hello Nature for agriculture (insect frass).These partnerships ensure that Innovafeed maintains a strong momentum across all markets – both in France and abroad.
- Committed to minimizing the environmental impact of the company and its products. Accredited as a B Corp company since 2022, Innovafeed recently released its first Impact Report in January 2024; and since February 2024 has been a certified member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition in the pet segment.
- Nutritional expertise acquired through trials conducted at both laboratory and commercial scales. The Hilucia™ range is based on a deep understanding of the needs of each species. It is thus tailored based on in vivo studies to provide the best zootechnical performance possible. This is particularly the case in aquaculture, where Innovafeed is involved in the Millennial Salmon project among others, which includes 8 leading organizations across the value chain and aims to bring to market the most sustainable farmed salmon in the world.
- The strict adherence to the most demanding quality standards. The recent acquisition of a Marketing Authorization (AMM) for its organic fertilizer in France is a recognition of Innovafeed’s expertise and excellence, opening up the opportunity to offer an innovative and effective solution in a broad market of 7 million tonnes (according to Unifa) with growing demand. This authorization complements an already ongoing deployment in several other European countries with our partner Hello Nature, a global specialist in organic fertilizers.
The combination of an exceptional insect and a unique production model
Hermetia illucens larvae transform low-value plant-based raw materials into high-quality nutrients with unparalleled efficiency: they use 1.5 kg of dry feed to produce 1 kg of body mass in just 15 days.
Leveraging these exceptional capabilities, Innovafeed has created a unique model of “industrial symbiosis” that maximizes the natural productivity of Hermetia illucens larvae. This model is based on the clustering of facilities with suppliers of the two main inputs required for insect rearing: agricultural co-products for larval feed and energy. The facilities are directly connected by pipelines, which significantly reduces environmental impact, transport needs, and production costs.
High-quality ingredients with low environmental impact
The ingredients of the Hilucia™ range aim to meet the growing demand for high-quality food products – it is estimated that global protein demand will increase by 40% by 2030 – while meeting sustainability requirements, both in resource use and CO2 emissions.
Leveraging a deep understanding of the needs of each species, Innovafeed is working to provide nutritional solutions that offer the best possible zootechnical performance. For example, it has been shown that Hilucia™ Protein for Shrimps could significantly reduce mortality and increase performance in shrimp farming.
Furthermore, a life cycle analysis was conducted on the ingredients in the Hilucia™ range, and it was demonstrated that they generate at least 50% fewer carbon emissions compared to the most commonly used plant and animal proteins, oils, and fertilizers on the market (such as fish meal, vegetable oils, poultry manure, etc.), while also having a lower impact on biodiversity, land use, and water consumption.
A commitment to transparency for consumers
With Hilucia™, Innovafeed creates a simple and identifiable brand that signifies quality and sustainability, responding to consumers’ need for transparency. Innovafeed even offers customers the option to feature a “Powered by Hilucia™” logo on their packaging.
As testified by Gabriel Huertas del Pino, Co-founder, and CEO of Arch Pet Food:
“Partnering with Innovafeed marks a significant milestone in our journey to redefine pet nutrition. We’re thrilled to embark on this partnership, and the Hilucia™ brand aligns perfectly with our commitment to excellence, sustainability, and innovation in the pet food industry and we’re proud to display the label and story directly to our customers on-pack in our new Smart Future Formula. Together, we’re setting new standards for what pet owners can expect, bringing a new era of quality, trust, and transparency to the table!”
The stakes are high in pet food: in the United States alone, over 4 million tonnes (according to Pet Food Institute) of animal-derived products are currently used to formulate dry food or wet food!
