Millions of larvae squirm and twist inside the factory premises. In the past, there was furniture production here, but now the furniture has been replaced with insects. Forklifts drive in and out with material, and construction work is going on everywhere. Behind a closed door is the factory itself. But we didn’t let in there. Ten years of research and development cannot be revealed. – What we have spent ten years developing can be copied by others in half an hour. We can’t risk that, says daily manager of Norinsect Harald Larsen Espeland. Harald Larsen Espeland will not reveal what a perfect caterpillar factory looks like. Photo: Remi Sagen / news Insatiable market The mealybug larvae will be turned into protein-rich larval meal and oil. This in turn becomes animal feed for those who would have eaten insects naturally if they lived freely in nature – for example salmon, chickens and pigs. In Europe it is also popular as pet food. This year, a lot is at stake for Norinsect in Stordal on Sunnmøre. The investors have been patient and waited for research and development to pay off in the end. Now it will happen. Larva meal from Norinsect. Photo: Remi Sagen / news In the spring, the 3,500 square meter caterpillar factory will be ready for large-scale production. It will then be one of the largest – if not THE largest – insect factory in the Nordics. If everything goes according to plan, the 14 employees should be able to harvest between 10 and 15 tonnes of larvae per week from August. According to caterpillar breeder Espeland, the market is insatiable. – It is fantastically exciting. In the ten years we have put behind us, there has been a lot of excitement, joy and frustration. There are things that you think will work, which turn out not to work anyway. But now we are looking forward to getting the factory up and running, he says. Harald Larsen Espeland with larvae fed on pizza and beer. Photo: Remi Sagen / news Grandiosa and beer So what does this have to do with Grandiosa and beer? Yes, one of the reasons why Stordal is the perfect location for a caterpillar factory is that large quantities of pizza are produced in the neighboring municipality of Stranda. Orkla’s Grandiosa factory supplies scraps of dough, pizza bases and tomato sauce as feed for the larvae. Food that would otherwise have become waste. – In addition, we get some residual product from the beer producers in the area. And it is something we want to accept more of in the future, explains daily manager Harald Larsen Espeland. – Larvane is therefore up for pizza and beer? – Pizza and beer, yes. So there is a good atmosphere here. There is less food waste at Orkla’s pizza factory on Stranda when the larvae eat what is left over. Photo: Lena Høyberg / news Unique project Dag Olav Stokken is communications director at Orkla Foods. He says they are constantly working to have less food waste, but that they just have to realize that they have some of it. – Then it is very good that we can contribute to Norinsect building up an exciting business. Director of Communications at Orkla Foods, Dag Olav Stokken. The food waste from the pizza factory now comes in containers to Stordal, at the start it was only a matter of a few kilos of waste. Neither Norinsect nor Orkla pays for the collaboration, and the communications director says the project is unique. – Firstly, we think it is exciting to be involved in developing how food waste can be used in a sustainable way. Secondly, it is very good that we get things done a short distance from the factory, so that we avoid long transport stages for food waste. And last but not least, it is very exciting that we can take part in developing business in our local area. This is how Norinsect makes caterpillar meal and oil. Hope it inspires others. Norinsect recently received the Climate Change Award from the State Administrator in Møre og Romsdal. Climate coordinator Anne Melbø says the company takes care of both the climate and nature because they have started a factory in premises where everything was there, and produce animal feed using waste as raw material. The caterpillar factory itself has almost zero waste. – They tick almost all the boxes for taking care of the climate and the environment. We hope others can be inspired to use what we already have and utilize it in the best possible way. Then the companies have to cooperate, as they do here, she says. Anne Melbø is climate coordinator at the State Administrator in Møre and Romsdal. Photo: Remi Sagen / news Smakar baconcrisp For Harald Larsen Espeland, this award is proof that they have achieved one of the goals with Norinsect: to contribute to a lower climate footprint in the feed industry. The next goal is to make money at the insect factory. It is planned to take place during the year. And if the first factory goes well, there are plans to open more larval meal factories elsewhere. – It is a huge market that we will be targeting, so there will certainly be room for a good number of insect producers in the future. Then I think it will stabilize gradually with some large ones in Europe. We want to be one of them, he says. Portrait of a mealybug larva, Tenebrio molitor, at Norinsect in Stordal. Photo: Remi Sagen / news – But are only animals able to eat larval products? – No, but the majority of people may not be quite ready for it yet. When they are ready, we will be ready. – Are you ready? Have you eaten caterpillar? – I’m ready, yes. It tastes like bacon crisps. Very good, says Harald Larsen Espeland.
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These larvae are fed on Grandiosa and beer – and taste bacon crisp
