Better Origin

Better Origin is an agritech company founded in 2015 by Fotis Fotiadis and Miha Pipan, who met while studying at Cambridge University. Fotiadis, with a background in mechanical and sustainable engineering, and Pipan, a biological scientist, established the company to address systemic issues in the global food chain. The company, initially named Entomics, is headquartered in Cambridge, UK.

The core of Better Origin's business is the X1, a modular, automated 'mini-farm' housed within a shipping container that converts local food and agricultural waste into high-protein animal feed using Black Soldier Fly larvae. This decentralized system is designed to be installed directly on farms, enabling farmers to produce their own sustainable feed on-site. The process is managed by artificial intelligence, which uses cameras and sensors to monitor and optimize the environmental conditions for the larvae, notifying the farmer when they are ready to be harvested. This approach significantly reduces the reliance on traditional feeds like soy, a major contributor to deforestation, and minimizes the carbon footprint associated with long-distance feed transportation.

The company operates on a service-based business model, charging farmers a monthly fee that includes a continuous supply of larvae and 24/7 remote technical support, which lowers the barrier to entry for adopting this technology. Primarily serving the poultry sector, Better Origin has a notable partnership with the UK supermarket Morrisons to supply ten of its X1 mini-farms to their free-range egg suppliers, aiming to mitigate 1,500 tonnes of food waste and save 5,737 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions annually. The company has raised a total of $19.5 million over six funding rounds, including a significant $16 million Series A round in 2022 led by Balderton Capital. These funds are being used to scale operations, expand the team, and explore new markets, including aquaculture and pet food, with long-term plans to enter the human food sector.

Keywords: insect farming, agritech, sustainable agriculture, food waste reduction, animal feed, black soldier fly, circular economy, AI in agriculture, on-farm feed production, sustainable protein, waste-to-feed, poultry feed, aquaculture feed, pet food, decentralized farming, climate tech, food security, supply chain localization, carbon footprint reduction, sustainable farming