From Lovebird to Buzzkill: One Man’s Journey to Sustainable Livestock through Black Soldier Flies

Seven years ago, Frenchman Julien Laurençon was preparing to marry a Russian model and settle in Singapore. However, after a ten-day silent retreat and some introspection, he decided to abort the plan and start a new life. He moved to Argentina, where he met Belgian partner François Nolet and began raising black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) as a sustainable protein source.

Laurençon and Nolet’s journey began with an agroecological farm in Colonia Caroya, Córdoba, where they produced oysters while raising flies in a maritime container. They discovered that the industry of raising insects had been developing for 15 years worldwide and was worth billions of dollars in investments. The industry solves three major problems: the enormous volume of food waste, the growing demand for animal protein, and the impoverishment of biodiversity.

The black soldier fly is native to Argentina but not registered in the catalog. Laurençon and Nolet registered it and started collecting them from compost at the National University of Córdoba. They then raised larvae from wild ones found there before focusing on flies instead of oysters. Their objective was to transform food waste into fertilizer and animal protein through circular bioeconomy.

In 2020, they raised $200,000 from ten investors during an investment round amidst the pandemic. Afterward, they moved from Colonia Caroya to Balcarce for expansion purposes and optimization of their processes with new investments totaling $1.8 million dollars raised later that year. The company now produces biodegradable machines that multiply larvae’s weight by 10,000 within twelve days while generating organic fertilizer for soil use by McCain as well as high-quality animal proteins for pet food production with another company yet to be disclosed.