This interview details Loopworm, an indoor farming company based in India. The interview is with Ankit Bagaria, Co-Founder of Loopworm.
What is the origin story of Loopworm?
My co-founder and I were undergraduate batchmates at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. We started the Enactus chapter of IIT Roorkee to promote social entrepreneurship in the institution. We started working on waste management projects soon. This drove our passion to solve for organic waste management. Upon researching during the final semester, we came across multiple species of food rejects eating insects which can be leveraged to not only solve the issue but they can also be leveraged as alternative feed and food. Thus contributing to food security at the same time. That's how we started Loopworm.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing Loopworm in the future?
Scaling up and quality assurance are the biggest challenges for Loopworm.
What is unique about Loopworm compared to competitors?
Loopworm enables people to start their insect farms near the food waste source itself and promises to buy back whole dried insects from these decentralized units. We also work with a unique insect Silkworm apart from the Black Soldier Fly larvae. These are the things that set us apart.
What is the current size of your growing area?
We don't have our own growing area. We are currently processing 120 Tonnes of Dried Insects per month into high-quality proteins and fats. We are targeting 250 tonnes per month in the next 6 months.
Do you use CO2 in your operation today -- if so, how much and what do you pay for it?
We don't use CO2 in our farms.
What are your thoughts in CO2 usage in indoor farms?
We use a little less than 1 unit of electricity per Kg production. So approximately 120000 kWh per month. I am not aware of the exact data.
Energy is a big topic in indoor farming right now. How much do you pay for electricity (kWh)? Is it mainly from the grid or renewables?
It is from the grid currently. But we will shift to renewables once the production has stabilized.
How can people connect with you or learn more about Loopworm?
They can drop me an Email at ankitbagaria@loopworm.in to reach me. It would be great if they set an agenda for discussion.
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