Finnish deeptech company Volare, which turns food industry waste and by-products into high-quality insect protein, has opened its first industrial-scale facility, Volare 01, in Pori, Finland. The opening marks an important step in the company’s plans to increase production and make better use of food industry side streams.
Alongside the facility’s launch, Volare has raised €7.1 million in fresh funding through Springvest. The round received support from both new and existing investors, including venture capital firm Maki.vc.
“Volare 01 proves that our technology and production model work at industrial scale. 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,” said Jarna Hyvönen, CEO and co-founder of Volare.
Founded in 2021 by Tuure Parviainen, Matti Tähtinen and Hyvönen, Volare started as a spin-off from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. The company began developing its technology in 2014 and has since moved from laboratory research to industrial production. Its process uses black soldier fly larvae to turn food industry by-products into valuable ingredients.
The larvae feed on food industry side streams and convert them into protein and oil in about a week of active growth. Volare has developed its own highly automated production process that covers every stage, from raising the larvae to producing finished ingredients. This approach helps the company turn food industry by-products into useful resources.
According to Volare, its production process does not generate wastewater from operations and runs entirely on non-fossil energy. The facility also requires only four employees per shift, helping the company manage production with a small team.
The new Volare 01 facility covers 10,000 square metres and aims to produce up to 5,000 tonnes of insect protein and 2,000 tonnes of insect oil each year. These ingredients will be used in aquaculture feed, pet food and poultry feed. Rather than building a new factory from the ground up, Volare converted a former newspaper printing hall into its production facility, reducing construction needs and costs.
“Europe needs significantly more locally produced protein, and we have built a model that can deliver it efficiently and competitively. Our next step is to replicate our model from Finland and bring more local, efficient protein production capacity to Europe and beyond,” Hyvönen added.
Volare says its insect protein has been used in commercial products since 2022. These include insect-based dog treats developed with Alvar Pet, cat food sold under Dagsmark, a brand owned by Vafo Group, and rainbow trout feed made in partnership with Alltech Fennoaqua.
