Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick PIttaluga.
After reading a clickbait article about how we’ll all be eating insects by 2030, cousins (and college buddies) Sean Warner and Patrick Pittaluga did the not-so-obvious thing: ordered 700 Black Soldier Fly Grubs to raise in their laundry room. As their first generation of grubs wiggled into the world, Grubbly Farms was born. We spent a nearly 2 years research black soldier fly larvae, testing breeding system, and finding the best initial market to sell our product. After the laundry room, we work in a makeshift greenhouse we set up in Sean’s parents’ backyard.
From there we partnered with Kennesaw State University, a local college, and operated on one of their farms. We then moved into a 5000 sqft research warehouse. We recently moved into our first pilot production facility in an 18,000 sqft warehouse.
Has it been a smooth road?
Working with a live organism has been very problematic. We are constricted to the live cycle of the animal for scaling and testing. In addition, we have encountered problems with keeping a large dense population as a disease can spread quickly and what works on a small colony won’t necessarily work for a large colony.
Education has been an obstacle as well. Most people are so disconnected from their food they have no knowledge of the issues facing our food production systems. Before we can pitch our company, we typically have to educate people on where protein comes from today and what the problems are with each source.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Grubbly Farms – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Grubbly Farms produces a sustainable, insect-based food source for pets, aquaculture, and livestock. Food waste is recycled by feeding it to a unique insect species: the black soldier fly larvae (BSFL). As the larvae eat through the food waste, they convert it into a quality fertilizer.
Once mature, the larvae are harvested and processed into fats and proteins that are used to produce a variety of animal feeds. We are building out our 18,000 sq. ft. facility to increase production while continuing to perfect our breeding system and automated larvae-rearing manufacturing line. We currently sell to the backyard chicken market but plan to develop fully-formulated animal feeds as we continue to scale.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Atlanta is a great city for our business. There is an abundance of companies who are starting to understand the impact of food waste and looking for sustainable solutions for recycling. Being in Georgia, we are also in very close proximity to poultry farms which will be one of our target markets. Atlanta is also a growing city and is very supportive of entrepreneurs trying to grow businesses.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1035 Donnelly Ave SW Atlanta Ga 30310
- Website: grubblyfarms.com
- Phone: 7708611578
- Email: ppittaluga@grubblyfarms.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/grubblyfarms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrubblyFarms/
Image Credit:
Grubbly Farms
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