Alternative Proteins Magazine ISSUE FOCUS October 2025 27 is used as a valuable soil amendment from home gardens to large agricultural operations. The fully grown larvae are harvested and processed into a wide variety of products – ranging from dried whole larvae used as pet and poultry treats to protein powder for incorporation into livestock and aquaculture feed, as well as frass used as a soil amendment. The versatility of BSFL-derived products creates multiple coexisting revenue streams. Oberland uses energy efficient innovations to optimize BSFL nutrition, while also keeping our resource use and carbon outputs to a minimum, and reducing operating costs. Our facility leverages the heat generated by the larvae to provide domestic hot water and offset heating costs. The non-native fly demands a balmy 28°C to thrive, a challenge on Nova Scotia’s coal-powered grid, especially during Nova Scotia’s harsh winters. Over time, we will install solar arrays augmented with wind power to further reduce reliance on fossil energy consumption. Oberland’s 108,000-square-foot commercial facility can process 36,500 metric tonnes of waste per year. That’s 100 metric tonnes of organic waste diverted from regional compost and landfill every day. The “waste” is transformed into 9,000 metric tonnes of wet protein and almost 10,000 metric tonnes of frass per year. We achieve this in a closed loop system that uses less land, water, and creates significantly fewer carbon emissions than traditional protein sources. Once processed, our low-carbon footprint products are packaged and ready to ship to our customer base. This includes pet food manufacturers, poultry farms, aquaculture farms, as well as farmers and large-scale producers looking for chemical-free soil amendments for their arable land. Transforming locally produced organic waste into high-value animal nutrition and soil amendments requires a dedicated, skilled team. Oberland’s workforce benefits from specialized training, attracting nationwide talent and supporting local employment diversity. A MODEL OF ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRATION Oberland is a key connector in a network of innovative Nova Scotian companies collaborating to benefit the local economic and environmental backdrop. Our ecosystem is more than circular – it’s a web economy, with byproducts from one process feeding the next. Each company mimics the natural order of things, where nothing goes to waste. We recycle, reuse, and valorize what would normally end up in landfill. One partner offers waste management services; they turn municipal solid waste, including difficult-to-recycle plastics, into new plastics and biomass pellets. While not currently approved for use as a feedstock, in the future this biomass could feed into Oberland’s process supplementing the other organic wastes and byproducts from the food manufacturing industry. Oberland’s animal nutrition and frass products then flow into local farms, including a land-based recirculating aquaculture farm producing Atlantic Salmon. Oberland’s BSFL is combined with other ingredients to produce a pharmaceutical-free, nutrient-rich feed for the salmon in the tanks. The salmon farm recycles 100 percent of its water in a closed loop system, extracting the solid waste in the process. The fish waste, insect frass, and cellulose from the waste management company can be combined to create a rich fertiliser that returns organic matter to the soil, further reducing the regional reliance on chemical fertilizers. Nova Scotia is a hub of innovation and collaboration. Other companies fit into the web at distinct stages of the process. This network builds resilience and trust into the food system by replacing outdated practices with a steady, sustainable source of food and economic growth. Each company is committed to transparency, measuring the total impact of production and collaboration, sharing the data internally and externally. Collectively, we believe there is a large opportunity for continued collective growth. The growth potential is enormous, from aquaculture and agriculture to the pet food industry. Growth is not a straightforward path. There are challenges and opportunities to face along the way.
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