플라이랩 (Flylab), 룩셈부르크에 글로벌 본사 개설
음식물 쓰레기를 식물과 동물의 사료로 변환하여 문제를 해결하는 농업기술 스타트업, 플라이랩 (Flylab)이 최근 룩셈부르크에 글로벌 본사를 열었다. 플라이랩 (Flylab)은 현재 태국에서 사업을 운영하고 있지만 룩셈부르크를 글로벌 확장의 중심 허브로 삼아 유럽 및 그 외 지역에서의 성장을 이룰 수 있는 입지를 다지고 있다.
“We opened the headquarters in Luxembourg because there was an opportunity here to start and there’s also an obvious possibility for expansion in Europe and into America as well,” says Nico Berry, co-founder and CEO of Flylab. “We are Europeans, so instead of going from Europe to Asia, we did just the opposite. The idea is to come back to the roots.”
Building on agritech expertise
The founders made an early discovery of insect-based proteins in Thailand. “After my studies I did a lot of travelling and at some point visited Thailand for holidays with friends. During this time, I came across a United Nations (UN) report on food scarcity and the potential of insects as a protein source,” explains Mr Berry. “It was written by academics from the Netherlands and Thailand, and so I basically went knocking on the door.”
Global discussions on using insects as food substitutes were gaining traction before the plant-based trend became mainstream. “For a long time, Thailand has had cricket farms supplying local markets, where it is sold as a source of protein especially in the countryside,” adds Mr Berry. According to a 2013 report by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the UN, Thailand is one of few countries with a thriving insect farming sector, made up of over 20,000 registered, mostly small-scale enterprises. The market is expected to surpass €633 million by 2024.
Shortly after, a partnership formed to process and supply cricket powder to SensFood, a Czech-based brand specialising in nutrition and healthy snacks. In 2021, the partners split, and Cricket Lab (now Flylab) shifted its focus to black soldier fly-based feed for animals and plants, an environmental-friendlier option compared to traditional soybean and fishmeal.
“We capitalised on our experience. Even if it’s a different insect, the breeding processes are similar,” he mentions. In 2022, the company raised funding from Japanese investors and launched a pilot. The company recycles byproducts from the agrifood industry to feed the larvae, which are then harvested and processed to separate the proteins from the fats. “At the end, we get two products: protein powder (60%), and oil.” These products target the pet food and aquaculture sectors, meeting the growing demand for sustainable alternatives in these markets.
Luxembourg: a strategic hub for growth
In 2023, the company started production and is now looking to scale to reach the industrial phase by 2025. “We took a year to work on the CAPEX and OPEX needed, optimise the business model, reduce the cost, finetune equipment, and carry out more trials on byproducts we could use. The idea now is to scale.”
To do so, Flylab launched its global headquarters in Luxembourg—a strategic move facilitated by one of its co-founders based in Luxembourg. The country’s central location in Europe, proximity to key markets in France and Germany, and supportive business environment further solidified the decision.
It is now actively working on its further integration in the Luxembourg ecosystem with the support of Luxinnovation. The national innovation agency put the company in contact with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and both entities are in discussions regarding a research programme pilot in 2025.
Mr Berry equally notes the support of Technoport in its business development plans. “They have a wide network and have been connecting us with companies in Korea, and in Asia. We’ll be looking to expand business development in Europe in the future.”
Opportunities ahead in the animal feed industry
With all these initiatives underway, the team is confident about its preparedness to leverage opportunities in this field. “Insect for feed is growing already. The first industrial factories opened about four years ago and there are maybe 10 companies that have industrial plants already running, with production ranging between 5,000 to 10,000 tonnes each. Demand globally is much higher, between 200,000 to 300,000 tonnes a year,” he points out.
For the founder, the company’s efforts are not just about scaling; they’re also about contributing to a more sustainable feed production and circular economy, where even the smallest creatures can make the biggest contributions.