Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1170186
A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S ZERO WASTE 7 and the proprietary data software we use for food safety and traceability purposes," JP said. For Hermetia Pro, it's about more than simply finding a new feed source for BSFL — they want an end-product that meets the highest standards for sustainability, food safety and traceability. "We source all of our hulls from California almonds, which means we can offer our customers full traceability — from field to fly," JP said. "We've also developed technology that helps us manage that end- to-end traceability — from eggs to flies, flies to neonates, feed components and larvae to harvest and compost." Not long after the company began, Hermetia Pro experienced an important addition when Paul Parreira joined the team. A third-generation almond farmer and partner with RPAC Almonds, Parreira has had a decades-long interest in alternative uses for almond coproducts, serving both as chair of the Almond Alliance Coproducts Committee and as a member of ABC's Biomass Workgroup since its inception. "I've been in the alternative use world since the early '80s, when we were shipping shells to biomass energy plants," Parreira said. "It's all about taking coproducts and up-valuing them, which is why I got involved with this group." Hermetia Pro currently sells directly to poultry growers and specialty online wholesalers. With its current factory design, it produces 100 tons of BSFL a month, with the capability to scale up and down rapidly depending on the input supply – which continues to grow. "Our operation is eminently scalable," JP said. Eye toward the future With more than 2.2 billion pounds of almonds produced annually along with 5 billion pounds of hulls and shells, there is no near-term threat of demand exceeding the supply. And until that equation flips, ABC will continue looking toward the future and investing in research for optimal coproduct uses. "Farmers have always taken responsibility for almond coproducts, and now ABC is focused on funding research to find new and optimal uses for these coproducts, working toward a goal of achieving zero waste in orchards by 2025," said Guangwei Huang, associate director of Food Research & Technology at ABC. "Our work with UC Davis is a great example of our research dollars moving us toward this goal. We love to see when research we've funded turns into a reality." Hermetia Pro's team runs the gamut from quality assurance to marketing and sales to technology and engineering. From left: Tim Farrow, Eric Tilton, John Paul, Becca Cartier, Ben Runyon and Evan Selander. "Black soldier fly larvae are amazing. There is tremendous potential here to solve the world problem of food production using fewer resources," said Lydia Palma, graduate student at UC Davis. (Photo by BioMilitus) Continued from page 6