Flies used for feed: French company’s pilot plant grand opening in Decatur

DECATUR, Ill. — Local, state and international representatives marked the grand opening of the North American Insect Innovation Center pilot facility April 18.

Innovafeed, a global leader in the production of insect ingredients for high-quality animal feed, pet food and plant nutrition, opened the pilot plant with plans to build an adjacent large facility within the next few years in a partnership with ADM.

The plant is the first step for the French biotechnology company’s industrial expansion to North America and aims to scale up production and commercialization of insect protein in the United States.

Innovafeed breeds Hermetia illucens, or black soldier flies, in state-of-the-art indoor farms, while efficiently repurposing agricultural by-products from its strategic partner, ADM, in a pioneering zero-waste framework.

This innovative process using larvae yields insect meal, oil and soil amendment, which Innovafeed markets under the brand Hilucia.

The inauguration of NAIIC was a milestone in Innovafeed’s expansion in North America.

The choice of Decatur was not coincidental: Located in the heart of the Corn Belt adjacent to ADM’s North American headquarters and the world’s largest corn mill operations, with hundreds of processing plants across multiple states, the region offers high potential for multiple sites to be deployed in the future.

The broader area is also a historical innovation hub for the agro-industry, making it a strategic location for Innovafeed to serve its core markets.

Process

The facility features environmentally controlled rooms for the black soldier flies. The flies lay eggs and the larvae are moved to another room where they are fed a mix of fine corn fiber and heavy steep water.

Larvae then go through the hygienisation process, followed by a process that separates the protein and oil.

“The black soldier flies are noninvasive by nature, meaning they actually don’t proliferate in the environment. They already exist in all continents and most environments. They also don’t do very well in cold climates,” said Maye Walraven, Innovafeed North American general manager.

“We only use the larvae for the feed. A fly can lay between 500 and 1,000 eggs, so we really just need less than 1% of the population to create the next generation. So, most of our production is the larvae and the flies are the breed stock.”

Partnership

Since 2023, the company in partnership with ADM, already has commercialized Hilucia insect ingredients for the pet food market in North America.

As part of this effort, ADM has invested in a comprehensive research and development study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with results to be released later this year demonstrating the nutritional and health benefits of its ingredients.

Future opportunities with other types of animal feed are also being explored as part of the comprehensive partnership between the two companies.

The process that led to this Innovafeed and ADM partnership began several years ago.

“We studied about 200 sources of feedstock for our insects around the world and we found this to be really promising both because of the performance, because of how deep the availability of the source of the feedstock is and how stable it is,” Walraven said.

“We went to ADM a couple of years ago and we explained that our symbiosis model means literally the stable supply, the stable demand for them, but also they don’t have to transport it, they don’t have to dry it. So, it means significant energy savings on their end.

“So, it’s like a really symbiotic relationship we’re building with them, and over the years, the relationship kind of strengthened.”

Pipeline Connection

A pipeline will connect the plant to the ADM’s corn processing wet mill, allowing it to directly recover up to 300,000 tons per year of by-products. These by-products will be transformed into high-quality insect ingredients producing up to 60,000 metric tons of animal feed protein derived from the black soldier fly larvae.

Additionally, it will generate 20,000 metric tons of oils for poultry and swine rations each year, along with 400,000 metric tons of soil amendment.

In Decatur, the planned large-scale manufacturing facility will replicate an industrial symbiosis model pioneered by Innovafeed in France. A comprehensive Life Cycle Analysis is still to be conducted at the NAIIC.

Ribbon-Cutting

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and representatives from ADA, Innovafeed, the City of Decatur and the deputy consul general of France gave remarks and participated in the ribbon-cutting.

“Innovative, exciting new approaches to agricultural and environmental challenges are what Illinois is all about, from the invention of the farm silo to global leaders like Innovafeed,” Pritzker said.

“This expansion, perfectly situated in Illinois’ rich corn country, demonstrates a commitment to Illinois as a place to grow and continue to innovate, and I’m glad to welcome Innovafeed to Illinois.”

“We chose Decatur for our first U.S. operation because of its location in the heart of the Midwest Corn Belt and its proximity to our partner ADM and other agribusiness leaders,” said Clément Ray, Innovafeed CEO.

“ADM’s corn by-products are a rich resource that we will leverage to fuel our black soldier fly production. At the same time, this circular process will present a tangible solution to contribute to our mission and the U.S. Department of Energy’s objectives of decarbonizing the industrial sector.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Innovafeed on this exciting project that highlights our commitment to responsible and sustainable sourcing. Our collaboration is a great example of how we are constantly seeking innovative solutions to meet the growing demand for alternative protein sources in animal and pet products,” said Chris Cuddy, ADM senior vice president and president of ADM’s Carbohydrate Solutions business.

“By expanding our value chain and offering collaboration opportunities to leading, innovative partners, we are positioning ADM as the provider of choice for responsible, sustainable materials across the food, beverage, feed, fuel, consumer product and industrial spaces. We are proud to be a part of this job-creating project and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our communities.”

“As the project expands, we believe Innovafeed can benefit from a strongly qualified local workforce, as well as contribute to developing new skills specific to our innovative industry,” Walraven said.

“Furthermore, we envision Decatur as a promising hub for innovation with many opportunities for collaboration between Innovafeed and the neighboring projects that have recently been announced in the area.”

“The inauguration of Innovafeed’s first U.S. location is another huge win for Decatur and is a prime example of what innovation and growth looks like in central Illinois. The northeast quadrant of Decatur will look very different in the coming years, and we are excited to see the future of Innovafeed and other synergistic partners in the area,” said Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe.

About Innovafeed

Founded in 2016, Innovafeed currently operates two industrial plants in northern France, producing insect protein for animal and pet nutrition.

To date, Innovafeed has secured more than $1 billion in commercial contracts for its fly protein products for the aquaculture, pet food and poultry feed markets and has introduced insect ingredients as a viable, affordable and sustainable source of animal and pet food, which is now recognized and embraced by both agribusiness leaders and environmental stewards alike.

By integrating sustainable and innovative solutions, Innovafeed aims to play a pivotal role in mitigating the environmental impact of the animal and pet agribusiness sector.