Cycle Farms
Cycle Farms is a French specialist in Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) genetics and production, selling selected eggs, larvae, and parentstock to European insect farms and complete fish feed under the Enam Papa brand to 160+ West African fish farms across five countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersMassy, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cycle Farms does
Cycle Farms SAS is a France-headquartered, privately held specialist in Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) breeding, genetics selection, and industrialization, founded in February 2016 by two agricultural engineers. The company operates a vertical model spanning three production units in France and West Africa, combining a French technical center and hatchery (Beaufort en Anjou) that supplies genetically selected eggs, larvae, and parentstock to European insect producers, with an integrated insect-to-feed extrusion plant in Tema, Ghana that produces complete fish feed under the Enam Papa brand for tilapia and catfish farmers across Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Its core technology is a proprietary BSF genetic selection program developed in partnership with ORVIA, a poultry genetics specialist, applying poultry-breeding methodology to insect breeding to improve egg production, animal quality, and unit costs. The French hatchery claims to be the largest Black Soldier Fly hatchery in France, with reported capacity of up to 300 million animals per week, while the Ghana facility has a 15,000 tonnes-per-year nameplate feed capacity and serves more than 160 local fish farms.
The company monetizes through three revenue streams: (1) sale of insect genetics (eggs, larvae, parentstock) to industrial BSF farms in Europe via direct B2B sales with daily specialized live-animal logistics; (2) sale of complete fish feed under the Enam Papa brand to West African aquaculture operations; and (3) engineering and consulting services spanning feasibility studies, parameterization, industrialization support, and ongoing optimization for industrial project developers. GTM is sales-led and consultative, targeting professional buyers (fish farmers, insect producers, and project developers) via direct outreach, the corporate website, industry events, and government engagement in Ghana. Cycle Farms is small (11–50 employees, 12 at the French site, 43,440 EUR share capital), operates without disclosed venture funding (only a 2017 AGORANOV incubator association is recorded), and won the 2018 ADEME-linked 'Concours d'Innovation' award for its CycleSeed biotechnology program.
Cycle Farms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cycle Farms
- Legal name
- Cycle Farms SAS
- Website
- https://cyclefarms.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cycle Farms is a French specialist in Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) genetics and production, selling selected eggs, larvae, and parentstock to European insect farms and complete fish feed under the Enam Papa brand to 160+ West African fish farms across five countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cycle Farms industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Insect Protein & Aquaculture Feed Production
- NAICS
- Animal Production and Aquaculture (112), Poultry Hatcheries (11234)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Insect Farming (Crickets, Mealworms, Black Soldier Fly) (AFAEAIAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Nucleus Herd/Flock Breeding & Multiplier Stock Supply (AFAEAJAF)
Keywords
Where Cycle Farms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Massy
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Cycle Farms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Insect Genetics Sales: Sale of Black Soldier Fly genetics including eggs, larvae, and parent stock to insect producers. Products are sold to farms wanting to increase size while maximizing performance. The genetic quality is controlled and improved continuously through selection programs.
- Complete Fish Feed Sales (Enam Papa Brand): Production and sale of complete fish feed under Enam Papa brand in West Africa. Feed is produced from insect meal for tilapia and catfish, distributed to over 160 fish farms with capacity of 15,000 tonnes per year.
- Engineering and Consulting Services: Full-service engineering support from feasibility studies to industrialization and optimization of insect production facilities. Services include technical center experiments, business model validation, equipment supplier connections, quality management systems, and ongoing training and diagnostics.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Cycle Farms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cycle Farms breeds and distributes Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) genetics, including eggs, larvae, and parentstock, from its French selection center. It also produces complete insect-based fish feed under the Enam Papa brand at its Ghana facility (15,000 tonnes/year capacity) and delivers engineering services spanning feasibility studies, parameterization, industrialization support, and ongoing optimization for insect production projects.
Product overview
Cycle Farms is a specialist in Hermetia illucens (Black Soldier Fly) genetics, reproduction, and industrialization. The company offers a portfolio of genetic products (eggs, larvae, and parentstock) from their French selection center, alongside engineering services spanning feasibility studies, parameterization, industrialization, and optimization. Their Ghana operations produce complete feed under the Enam Papa brand for the West African aquaculture market. The genetic products and engineering services are designed to work together, with genetics providing the foundation for client operations and services guiding projects from concept through optimization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Enam Papa: Brand under which Cycle Farms sells its products (complete feed for fish) in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Products include feed for tilapia and catfish with annual production capacity of 15,000 tonnes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Increase of egg production with the same population
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Cycle Farms
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cycle Farms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Cycle Farms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ORVIAcoreORVIA is Cycle Farms' principal industrial partner, specialized in poultry genetics (geese and ducks). The partnership provides high-level support for genetic selection of Black Soldier Fly, applying expertise from poultry genetics to improve insect breeding programs. This partnership has been instrumental in enabling Cycle Farms to become a central player in French insect production and genetic commercialization.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cycle Farms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ÿnsect: French industrial BSF producer scaling insect protein for feed and pet food. Comparable to Cycle Farms in core species (Hermetia illucens), target buyers (feed formulators), and French operational base — though Ÿnsect operates at significantly larger funded scale.
- AgriProtein: South Africa-founded industrial BSF producer operating fly-to-feed facilities across multiple continents. Direct competitor in the industrial BSF genetics and meal space that Cycle Farms also addresses.
- InnovaFeed: French BSF producer co-locating insect production with agricultural partners (similar to Cycle Farms' integration thesis), supplying aquaculture and pet food markets. Direct competitor for both insect genetics customers and downstream feed partnerships in Europe.
- NextProtein: France/Tunisia-headquartered BSF producer focused on aquafeed protein meal. Targets the same aquaculture feed customers Cycle Farms addresses via Enam Papa, while also selling insect products in adjacent geographies.
- Protix: Dutch BSF producer and one of the most advanced insect-protein scale-ups globally. Comparable genetics-focused offering (Daisy the Black Soldier Fly breeding program) competes directly with Cycle Farms' parentstock and egg products.
Emerging players
- Entocycle: UK-based BSF production technology company supplying genetics and turnkey facilities. Competes with Cycle Farms' engineering services and genetic products from a UK base, targeting the same emerging BSF producer market.
- Entofood: Malaysian BSF protein producer serving Southeast Asian aquaculture and feed markets. Comparable species and end-market (aquaculture feed) but operates regionally where Cycle Farms is absent.
- Entomo Farms: Canadian insect producer (cricket and mealworm focused) supplying protein for food and feed. Comparable industrial insect breeding operation and B2B sales motion, though species mix differs from Cycle Farms' BSF focus.
Others
- Bühler Group: Swiss industrial equipment manufacturer with a dedicated insect processing technology line. Not a BSF operator but enables competitors to set up similar facilities, making it an adjacent infrastructure player in Cycle Farms' ecosystem.
- TEBU Bio: European insect-protein distributor and ingredient supplier connecting producers with formulators. Operates as a downstream channel/partner for BSF producers including potential Cycle Farms customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cycle Farms social profiles
Digital presenceCycle Farms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cycle Farms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Cycle Farms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cycle Farms M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cycle Farms
What does Cycle Farms do?
Cycle Farms breeds and distributes Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) genetics, including eggs, larvae, and parentstock, from its French selection center. It also produces complete insect-based fish feed under the Enam Papa brand at its Ghana facility (15,000 tonnes/year capacity) and delivers engineering services spanning feasibility studies, parameterization, industrialization support, and ongoing optimization for insect production projects.
Is Cycle Farms a public or private company?
Cycle Farms is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cycle Farms founded?
Cycle Farms was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cycle Farms based?
Cycle Farms is headquartered in Massy, France, in the Europe region.
How does Cycle Farms make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Insect Genetics Sales are the primary driver. The others are complete Fish Feed Sales (Enam Papa Brand) and engineering and Consulting Services.
Who are Cycle Farms's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ÿnsect, AgriProtein, InnovaFeed, NextProtein and Protix. Emerging players are Entocycle, Entofood and Entomo Farms. Others are Bühler Group and TEBU Bio.
Does Cycle Farms have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cycle Farms.
What industry is Cycle Farms in?
Cycle Farms's product category is Insect Protein & Aquaculture Feed Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAIAI, Insect Farming (Crickets, Mealworms, Black Soldier Fly), with a secondary code of AFAEAJAF, Nucleus Herd/Flock Breeding & Multiplier Stock Supply. Its NAICS code is 112 and its SIC code is 200.