The Finnish technology company has completed its first industrial-scale facility, which converts food-industry side streams into insect protein and oil for pet food, aquafeed and poultry feed.
Volare has opened Volare 01, its first industrial-scale insect protein factory in Pori, Finland, which produces up to 5,000 metric tons of insect protein and 2,000 metric tons of insect oil annually from food-industry waste using black soldier fly larvae and sustainable, fossil-fuel-free production methods.
Volare 01 produces 5,000 metric tons of insect protein and 2,000 metric tons of insect oil annually from food-industry side streams
The facility uses black soldier fly larvae to convert waste into nutrients with over 90% digestibility
Production requires 4-10 times less capital, 50% fewer employees, and 30% less energy than competing insect protein producers
Volare 01 operates entirely on electricity without fossil fuels and produces no process wastewater
The protein is commercially used in aquafeed, pet food, and poultry feed with major offtake agreements already in place
Volare has completed Volare 01, its first industrial-scale protein factory, in Pori, Finland. The 10,000-square-meter (107,600-square-foot) facility is designed to produce up to 5,000 metric tons of insect protein and 2,000 metric tons of insect oil annually from food-industry side streams.
Volare 01 is a 1,000-fold scale-up from the company’s demonstration plant and uses the same process the company has run in commercial production for four years. The facility was completed on schedule and within its €15 million (US$17.1 million) capital expenditure budget.
“Volare 01 proves that our technology and production model work at industrial scale,” said Jarna Hyvönen, CEO and co-founder of Volare. “We delivered the factory on schedule and on budget, demonstrating our ability to build production capacity cost-effectively and laying a strong foundation for further growth.”
Founded in 2021, Volare scaled technology that originated from research at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland to industrial production in five years. The company converts locally available food-industry side streams into protein and oil.
Volare’s larvae turn food-industry side streams into nutrients.VolareProduction process
Volare’s process uses black soldier fly larvae to convert food-industry side streams into nutrients. The company has developed an automated production process covering larvae rearing through finished protein and oil.
According to the company, its factory requires four to 10 times less capital expenditure, about 50% fewer full-time employees and 30% less energy in end-product processing than other insect protein producers. Volare 01 runs entirely on electricity without fossil fuels, operates with four people per shift and produces no process wastewater.
The company said its protein meal has more than 90% digestibility. The meal is used commercially in aquafeeds, pet foods and poultry feeds.
Volare 01 was built inside a former newspaper printing facility rather than as new construction.
Volare’s protein has been used commercially since 2022.VolareOfftake agreements and expansion
A significant share of Volare 01’s production capacity has been sold through offtake agreements, including with aquafeed company Skretting and a global chemical company.
Volare’s protein has been used commercially since 2022, including in insect-based dog treats developed with Alvar Pet, insect-based cat food from Dagsmark, a Vafo Group brand, and rainbow trout feed through a collaboration with Alltech Fennoaqua. The protein has also been used in organic poultry feed.
Volare raised €7.1 million (US$8.1 million) in new funding through Springvest, with backing from new and existing investors including Maki.vc. The company is preparing a second industrial-scale facility and plans to replicate its production model across Europe and other regions.
“Europe needs significantly more locally produced protein, and we have built a model that can deliver it efficiently and competitively,” Hyvönen said. “Our next step is to replicate our model from Finland and bring more local, efficient protein production capacity to Europe and beyond.”
VolareVolare is a Finnish technology company that produces insect protein and oil from food-industry side streams for aquafeed, pet food and other applications. Founded in 2021, Volare opened its first industrial-scale facility, Volare 01, in Pori, Finland, in 2026. The facility is designed to produce up to 5,000 metric tons of protein annually, and Volare said it is preparing to expand across Europe and other regions.
Volare’s larvae turn food-industry side streams into nutrients.Volare
Volare’s larvae turn food-industry side streams into nutrients.Volare
Volare’s protein has been used commercially since 2022.Volare
Volare
