The other partners in the intiative include feed company, Alltech Fennoaqua, fish farmer, Kalankasvatus Vääräniemi, and fish distributor, Kalavapriikki.
The collaboration will see a trial batch of approximately 150,000 kg of rainbow trout given feed with Black Solider Fly (BSF) derived insect meal, albeit at a limited inclusion rate of 3 to 4%.
“We see this as the first concrete step, and the low inclusion level allows for a quicker commercial application, bringing the products to consumers sooner,” Jarna Hyvönen, chief commercial officer at Volare, told us.
Alltech Fennoaqua manufactures the feed at its Raisio factory, which was previously owned by the Raisio Group, but acquired by Finnforel Oy and Alltech in 2023. Kalankasvatus Vääräniemi farms the rainbow trout, and Kalavapriikki manages the supply. The fish will be available to consumers in the autumn.
“This first batch of rainbow trout products is limited and targeted at consumers and restaurants interested in trying new, sustainable products. This segment is typically willing to pay a reasonable premium, supporting the introduction of innovative, sustainable products while being among the first to assess them,” remarked Hyvönen.
There is a growing need for novel sustainable proteins in aquafeeds, she stressed.
“Aquaculture has a crucial role to play in delivering sustainable and healthy diets and feeding the world population. Introducing novel ingredients into commercial applications is the fastest way to move things forward.”
Volare only uses side-streams from the food industry as raw materials, she continued. “The company deploys its own unique fully electric processing method, which enables energy savings and non-fossil production.”
Partnership
Kalankasvatus Vääräniemi, Kalavapriikki, and Alltech Fennoaqua have been collaborating for years, with a shared ambition to innovate and improve the entire aquaculture industry in Finland, said Hyvönen.
“This partnership is a natural progression of their previous cooperation,” she added.
And Volare has been working with the Alltech Fennoaqua team since before the company was founded. “The collaboration began when the Volare team was conducting research at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, validating their insect protein product with the then Raisioaqua team,” reported the CCO.
Jari Korhonen, CEO of Kalavapriikki, stated that their customers demand tangible sustainability actions and he emphasized that the industry has recognized value-chain collaboration as the most effective way to achieve these goals. "No one can do this alone," he remarked.
Expansion plans
This test batch is just the initial step in what the partners envision as a larger-scale, long-term collaboration, said Hyvönen.
“They are eager to see how the products are received in the market and will adjust their next steps based on the feedback.”
As part of its expansion plans, Volare will begin building its first commercial-scale factory this year. In January, the Finnish startup announced an offtake deal with Skretting, with the aqua feed major agreeing to buy a substantial volume of that new facility's output.
There has been increasing documentation of the nutritional benefits of BSF meal inclusion in salmonid diets, reports Hyvönen.
"The lauric acid contained in the protein meal has also been shown to have antimicrobial effects against various microbes, including specific aquaculture related pathogens."
