[Report] From Hatching to Shipment... Visiting Korea's First 'Milworm Smart Farm'

Kale and Edible Insect Automated Farming... 1,000 Tons of Mealworms Produced Annually
Utilizing Discarded Snacks and Ramen as Feed
Automated Layered Farming in Over 8,900 Rearing Boxes for 80 Days

On the afternoon of the 7th, we visited Kale, a 'specialized edible insect material company' that established the country's first 'automated smart farm for edible insects.' Located in Osong, Chungbuk, Kale produces 1,000 tons of larvae (mealworms) annually through automated breeding of the brown beetle species.

Upon entering the breeding facility, the first thing that caught the eye was dozens of blue breeding boxes neatly stacked on giant yellow metal shelves, each 6 meters high. Each of the approximately 8,900 breeding boxes housed 11,000 to 12,000 mealworms. The mealworms are bred here for about 80 days, with their main feed, compound feed, automatically supplied every five days, and moisture-providing jelly every two days. When a breeding box is taken from the stacked shelves and placed into the feeding device, the compound feed and moisture jelly are automatically dispensed.

Until now, mealworm farms mainly fed mealworm bran, a byproduct left after removing flour from wheat. Along with this, perilla meal, palm meal, soybean meal, coconut meal, and coffee grounds?byproducts from extracting fruit pulp or oil?were also fed. However, Kale uses 'vegetable-based products' such as various noodles, snacks, and bread that have passed their expiration date and are discarded or incinerated, through a partnership with CU, instead of mealworm bran. These are processed into powder form and mixed with protein and fat to make compound feed.

Kim Yong-wook, CEO of Kale, explained, "Mealworm bran is expensive and mostly imported, so its price is highly volatile. By using vegetable-based products instead of mealworm bran, Kale can reduce feed costs, CU can lower disposal costs, and carbon emissions from incineration can also be reduced."

On the 7th, Kim Yong-wook, CEO of Kale, is explaining the insect industry and smart farm processes.

Fully grown mealworms undergo washing and drying processes, after which refined oil used in food and cosmetics is extracted, and the remaining parts are made into powder products (mealworm powder), high-protein hardtack, and pet food. The excrement produced by mealworms during growth is used as mushroom substrate. Kale recorded sales of about 500 million KRW last year, with 80% of that coming from refined oil and mealworm powder. CEO Kim said, "Just as omega-3 accumulates in fish that eat plankton (microalgae), mealworms act as a kind of container. If mealworms are fed turmeric extract meal or perilla meal, various functional substances accumulate and can be extracted."

Currently, Kale carries out the entire process of breeding mealworms by laying eggs through adult brown beetles and hatching them. CEO Kim plans to apply a 'vertical integration of insect breeding (commissioned automated breeding)' model to about 10 partner farms this year by distributing Kale's automated breeding system, seed insects, and mealworm feed for commissioned breeding.

Brown mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) ready for shipment.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the domestic insect industry grew by 7.7% from 41.4 billion KRW in sales in 2020 to 44.6 billion KRW in 2021. The number of registered insect farms and corporations also increased by 4.8%, from 2,873 to 3,012 during the same period. The global insect market, which was about 1 trillion KRW in 2019, is expected to reach approximately 2.4 trillion KRW by 2024. The growth of the insect industry is due to advantages such as shorter breeding periods (2 to 4 months) compared to other livestock, and lower requirements for space and feed. Nutritionally, edible insects contain abundant protein (58-80%), 10-40% unsaturated fatty acids, and various vitamins and minerals. Notably, they cause almost no environmental pollution from excrement and consume only one-fifth the water, one-fifteenth the feed, and emit up to one-seventh the carbon dioxide compared to other livestock.

Refined oil made from mealworms produced by Kale, mealworm meal, and pet food are on display.