The Bug Factory, which claims to provide a sustainable future for pet food, is launching its line of environmentally-friendly hardware for pet owners across the world.
The Bug Factory manufactures eco-growing pods designed for people’s homes that harness insect power to recycle food waste and convert it into pet food and plant fertiliser.
The pods are manufactured from recycled British fridge and freezers and aim to empower consumers to create their own affordable, sustainable and continuous source of animal feed while recycling their uneaten fruit.
Founded in 2019, The Bug Factory was born after British entrepreneur Thomas Constant received a School Design Award at Loughborough University for the initial concept in 2018. Two years later, the company successfully launched on Kickstarter, receiving 420% funding. The past two years have been spent conducting extensive research through customer data, global trends, retailer interest and market validation.
Thomas Constant (pictured right), CEO and Founder of The Bug Factory, said: “In the pandemic, pet ownership went through the roof as the country pivoted to working from home and simultaneously, we as a nation have shown an increasing interest in sustainable and environmentally-friendly solutions to our everyday lives. Insects are incredibly sustainable – they use a fraction of the land, energy and resources that traditional livestock do. Our ecosystems provide a constant supply of fresh, juicy mealworms perfect for pets and we’re super excited to launch our solution to pet owners today in the comfort of their own home.”
Pet YouTuber Emzotic was one of the first people to try out the new line. The verdict: “The Bug Factory products are simply a must-have for anyone who spends far too much money on live pet feed. Having the ability to harvest my own mealworms has cut my monthly mealworm expenses down from $30 to zero. All I need to do now is throw in some of my suitable scraps, rotate a few trays and enjoy the harvest – would highly recommend.”
The Bug Factory’s products will be rolled out in stores across the UK and US, and will be available online internationally. This launch comes after an extensive beta testing period conducted on over 400 customers, with an array of industry-leading awards on The Bug Factory and Thomas’ roster, including Innovate UK Awards 21/22, Barclays Bank Entrepreneur of the Year 21/22, Top 30 UK Founders Award and Top Five Global Insect Start-Up Award.
Michael White, Director of The Incubator Shop, said: “As a retailer of poultry and livestock breeding, we’re hugely excited to introduce The Bug Factory to our customer-base. The product range fits perfectly with the sustainability and self-sufficiency goals of our customers – providing an affordable, eco-friendly source of protein for their birds and animals. The Bug Factory is a much-needed solution in today’s economic climate.”
Product information:
Starting at £29.99, the hardware solution is a closed loop system that turns consumer’s food waste into protein as well as plant fertiliser. The first step is to recycle uneaten fruit and vegetables into The Bug Factory pods, users can then start producing insect protein into their own home and use the insect waste as plant fertiliser.
User-guide:
- The Mealworm Growing Pod consists of 3 x white mealworm trays and 1 x blue beetle bray
- Users must add mealworms to a mealworm tray, starting with 120-180g
- Over the following few weeks the mealworms will turn into pupae, as they do this, move the pupae from the mealworm tray to the raised centre of the blue beetle tray
- The pupae will then turn into beetles and start laying eggs – users should continue with Step 3 until all the mealworms have been pupated. Once all mealworm has pupate, users should leave beetles in the tray
- After four weeks, users will move the blue beetle tray into another tray leaving the initial tray filled with eggs
- Once left for a few weeks, the mealworms will be visible and ready for users to feed their pets – users can now repeat Step 5 on a different tray for a continuous supply of pet feed
The Bug Factory describes mealworms as the future of sustainable protein due to the insects using a fraction of the land, energy and resources that traditional livestock use. Mealworms are 54% protein and have a low fat content while being packed full of essential vitamins, providing a fantastic source of protein for poultry, reptiles, wild birds and fish in particular.
Over the next few years, The Bug Factory aims to remove over 125,000,000 kg of CO2 and help hit the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals – specifically addressing: Goal 2 ‘zero hunger’, Goal 12 ‘responsible consumption and production’ and Goal 13 ‘climate change’.
To find out more visit: https://bugfactory.co.uk/
