“Reverse the loss of sense of agriculture, and return to peasant common sense. » Here is how Sébastien Crépieux, 45, explains the choice of name for his company Invers, which on Friday November 18 won the grand prize of the fourth edition of the competition “Innovate in the countryside: I undertake where I want to live” (of which Bayard is a partner). A company specializing in the sale of animal feed, the objective of Invers is not so much to limit the meat consumption of our very precious pets, as to create a real breeding feed industry from of ” mealworms “.
Create a local and circular sector
It was in 2016, while he was quietly reading an article on his terrace facing Puy-de-Dôme on industrial overfishing that this agricultural engineer, born in Auvergne, had the idea of developing his breeding worms intended for animal feed. “Today a third of the world’s fishing is intended to feed farmed fish, which is an environmental aberration. As the regulations were changing, I wanted to create an insect industry that would work very locally, in a short circuit”relates Sébastien Crépieux.
In 2018, after selling a first company specializing in urban greening, he launched Invers, with two partners. Initially, Invers, which works in collaboration with farmers (responsible for producing insects from microlarvae supplied by Invers) and local industrialists, is mainly dedicated to the pet food segment. Croquettes for cats and dogs, mealworms for hens, turtles or rodents… almost all of the turnover is still made today on this consumer market.
Livestock in the viewfinder
But in the long term the objective is indeed to attack the farm animal market: in 2025, the company hopes to replace 100% of the conventional proteins (fish and soya) imported into Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes by worm proteins. of flour produced in the region. Invers, which now has 25 employees, has just invested in a second hatchery (a room where eggs are incubated) which should make it possible to supply 25 agricultural buildings with microlarvae.
Finding farmers to produce these insects was not necessarily easy. When in 2017, the entrepreneur came to present his company to farmers in the region, the reactions were cold to say the least, not to say violent. “It was perceived as something eco-bobo, with no future”, he summarizes. Except that Sébastien Crépieux also has a few financial arguments to put forward, including the profitability of the areas used to cultivate insects. “Producing one kilo of insect protein requires 100 times less agricultural land than producing one kilo of conventional protein”he says.
Profitable production, and high prices
The day after his intervention, one of the farmers present, a grain farmer and breeder, called him back to ask him to meet his son, who did not wish to take over the insufficiently profitable family farm. The young thirty-year-old is one of the first farmers to start breeding insects, in addition to his wheat production. “Thanks to this diversification, the farmers who join us can make a decent living from their work”assures Sébastien Crépieux.
In terms of price, the company, which sells its products on the Internet or in specialized supermarkets, ensures that it is positioned at the same level as the rest of the “high-end” segment. Count €12.90 for a 1.5 kg packet of insect-based cat kibble, and €28.90 for a 4 kg bag of kibble for medium-sized dogs. “Except that in addition to being entirely produced in France, our foods have better nutritional intake and are fully traceable”smiles the entrepreneur.
The latter, however, refuses to communicate on the possible impact that his croquettes could have on the reduction of meat consumption. “Most animal protein kibbles are made from carcasses. It would therefore be misleading to say that the production of insects emits less CO2. If we emit less, it is mainly because we are much more circular”, he concludes. The translation here again of a certain peasant common sense…