Commercial Applications for Black Soldier Fly Farmers

Black soldier fly (BSF) farming is gaining traction as a profitable and sustainable business. Beyond large-scale protein production and waste management, several innovative business models can leverage BSF farming for commercial success. In this post we introduce commercial applications for BSF farmers

1. BSF Larvae Production for Animal Feed

• Business Model: Farming and selling live, dried, frozen or further post-processed BSFL as protein-rich and natural feed for poultry, aquaculture, pet food, and livestock industries.

• Revenue Streams: Selling larvae in bulk to feed manufacturers, fish farms, or pet food companies. Secondary option could be packaging larvae in small bags (live) for fishermen or exotic pets such as lizards.

• Scalability: Can be expanded with partnerships in agriculture and aquaculture sectors. For exotic pets distribution could be via pet stores – not very scalable, but high price point.

2. Organic Waste Processing Services

• Business Model: Offering waste management solutions for food producers, restaurants, and municipalities by using BSFL to process organic waste.

• Revenue Streams: Charging waste disposal fees while generating revenue from BSFL byproducts like animal feed and fertilizer.

• Scalability: Ideal for urban and industrial areas with high organic waste output or companies aiming for ESG goals and standards.

3. Frass Fertilizer Production and Sales

• Business Model: Collecting and processing BSFL frass (rearing process left-overs) into organic fertilizer for sale to farmers and gardening markets.

• Revenue Streams: Selling bagged fertilizers, liquid compost teas, or soil enhancers to organic farms and gardening retailers.

• Scalability: Can be integrated with other BSF farming models for additional revenue. Generally big quantities, low price point. Specialized frass products could be packaged in smaller packages for specialized home-gardening and horticulture needs with higher price point.

4. Black Soldier Fly Breeding

• Business Model: Supplying high-quality BSF eggs, larvae, or pupae to other farmers.

• Revenue Streams: BSF eggs are in high demand in many countries.

• Scalability: Growing demand as BSF farming expands globally. Simple straight forward production model, low production costs.

5. Black Soldier Fly Farming Consultancy

• Business Model: Providing training, farm setup guidance, and consultancy services to BSF farmers.

• Revenue Streams: Selling BSF starter kits, conducting workshops, and offering contract farming opportunities.

• Scalability: Growing demand for BSF farming expertise globally.

6. Biotech and Industrial Applications

• Business Model: Extracting BSFL-derived oils, chitin, and bioactive compounds for use in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and bioplastics.

• Revenue Streams: Partnering with biotech firms for R&D, selling refined products to pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries.

• Scalability: Requires significant investment but offers high-value product opportunities. At the moment still very much evolving need, no real customer base or recognizable price points in place. Mostly research-centric at this point.

7. Decentralized Micro-Farming and Franchising

• Business Model: Establishing small-scale BSF farms in rural communities or urban centers and integrating them into a larger supply chain.

• Revenue Streams: Licensing farm models, aggregating products from multiple small farms for bulk sales, and providing training.

• Scalability: Ideal for impact-driven businesses focused on sustainability and local employment.

Conclusion

BSF farming offers diverse business opportunities from animal feed and waste management to biotech applications, digital services and franchising models. Farmers can’t often capitalize on its sustainability, but various new production models are tested, technology is becoming better available and more affordable, and growing professionalism in insect farming is changing the field rapidly and new business opportunities are emerging.

Want to know more about the business side of insect farming? Join the free Insect Farm Hub, watch the video tutorials and webinar recordings, and start testing your business case with Manna Insect’s free BSF business case calculator.