“Insect farms are the new trend to get protein feed without wasting precious land resources.” This is his central idea. company “In Section”fictitious company that created the team graduate students of the Agrarian University Athens as part of their MBA. “In Section” received top marks from a panel of 11 market experts and executives set up to evaluate student work at an event held yesterday at the Agricultural University.

As well as companies “Mac Aronia”, “Capella Goat Cheese” and “Do It Fato” yesterday presented their new products along with an investment plan for the next decade. These are not yet real commercial enterprises, but four business plans for the food industry developed by 4 groups of graduate students of the Agricultural University as part of the MBA program. The plans of the groups were presented yesterday at a large event with the participation of professors of all specialties, banking and economic leaders, entrepreneurs and investors in the food and agricultural industry.

“We are trying to have student entrepreneurs, not student civil servants,” emphasizes Stathis Klonaris, GPA professor and director of the Food and Agribusiness Graduate Program.

The highest rating “In the section” concerns the cultivation of insects for the production of feed (insect meal, insect oil, as well as whole insects). An idea that, according to Petros Soldatos, emeritus professor and initiator of the program, represents the future of animal feed production. “Great lands around the world are being used to grow animal feed. At the same time in the EU. fertile land is limited. It is a shame to occupy land for the production of animal feed when the need for food increases,” he emphasizes. At the same time, insects provide animals with the proteins they need to feed.

“Establishing an insect farm significantly reduces the economic costs of the breeder, since the raw materials are produced in-house. The temperate climate of Greece provides the necessary temperature and humidity for the development of insects, and their nutrition is provided by by-products of industrial waste, ”says a group of students who prepared a specific business plan. “After breeding is over, the remnants of insect food, combined with their excrement, are used as fertilizer. The insects are then processed in a state-of-the-art In Section plant and three different products are produced: whole dried insects, meal and protein oil,” they add. As you can see, this is an innovative concept for farming with minimal environmental impact.

Four business plans in the food industry were presented as part of the postgraduate MBA.

cheese factory

“Capella Goat Cheese” is a medium-capacity cheese factory, which, according to the plan of the 2nd brigade, will produce four cheeses from goat’s milk with mushrooms. “Our staple 12-day aging,” noted a group of students, “stands out for its organoleptic characteristics, while others have been enhanced with the addition of black ash, herbs, and peppercorns.” These specific cheeses use goat’s milk, which is produced in large quantities in Greece, and due to the increased nutritional value, they can sell for more.

Aronia flour

“Mac Aronia produces pasta from a raw material other than regular chickpea and wheat flour, chokeberry flour, which is obtained by drying unused chokeberry pulp collected by the food industry. At the same time, he prepares a quick dish of dry vegetables that can be eaten by simply adding water,” the initiators of the idea said in the presentation.

Raw material

Fthiaksto, Fato is a company that will supply consumers with high-quality raw materials in certain quantities to fulfill specific recipes. “We strive to create simple, quick and healthy recipes at home, avoiding waste of materials,” students of the 4th business group emphasized.