Israel’s Flying Spark has recently announced the opening of its first factory in Thailand, in Petchaburi, which will produce fruit-fly protein. The company wants to expand in the Thai market offering a sustainable and high-quality protein alternative for animal feed and aquaculture. Flying Spark’s highlights how its products are rich in minerals, vitamins, good fats, and beneficial fiber.
The new factory is expected to start production by the end of 2023. Flying Spark predicts that it will require one square meter of space to produce fruit-fly protein equivalent to protein from 300-400 kg of beef. Flying Spark aims at achieving a productivity of 100 tons in 2023, and then increasing this figure to 1000 tons in 2024 and 10,000 tons in 2027. Currently, the company has two main products, namely insect-based protein powder and insect-based oil.
Thai Union Group, a Thai company that has evolved into one of the main global leaders in seafood, is among the investors behind Flying Spark. In effect, Thai Union has made alternative proteins a key pillar of its business strategy. It recently launched multiple lines of plant-based seafood alternatives including vegan tuna and alternative crab meat, shrimp dumplings, and fish nuggets. The Thai giant is backing cellular agriculture too. It has also invested in Israeli-cultivated beef startup Aleph Farms and is partnering with US cell-cultured seafood player BlueNalu.
(Sources: Asian Agribiz; Green Queen)
