Zewa Ecosystems' Breakthrough Insect-Based Diet Revolutionizes Nutrition for Fish and Birds

1. Can you share the inspiration behind founding Zewa Feeds and how you became interested in insect-based formulation feed for ornamental fish and birds?

Nik Mulakkal: The vast possibilities of biotechnology have always inspired me to explore new alternatives to change the approach the world works. The potential of insect protein to transform the world inspired me to leave my lucrative engineering job in Australia and return to India to pursue a significant venture. Over the last three years of multiple pivots, and experimentation, combined with my passion for pets and nutrition, Zewa naturally evolved to focus on creating superior feeds. Today, every single day, it’s more than exciting to learn more about biology and how much we can improve our food systems by carefully formulating superior nutrition based on the needs of each species.

2. What are Zewa’s vision and mission for transforming the pet food industry?

Nik Mulakkal: The vision of Zewa is to develop sustainable protein-derived products for the entire food and feed industries, without compromising on their quality or benefits compared to the superior formulations available in the world. Our initial focus will be to widen our knowledge and capacity across the pet feed industry in the coming years and be a market leader in producing sustainable superfoods for the entire pet category, from India to the world. The mission is to create a compelling option for pet lovers to feed their pets sustainably.

3. Could you elaborate on the nutritional benefits of using insect-based formulations in feed for ornamental fish and birds? How do these benefits compare to traditional feed options?

Nik Mulakkal: Insect protein, especially the one extracted from Black Soldier Fly is a highly digestible source of protein and contains a rich amino acid profile with balanced Lysine, Methionine, and Threonine compositions, Essential fatty acids with antimicrobial, immune system supportive properties, and superior mineral, vitamin and micronutrient compositions with Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Iron, Magnesium doses. On top of this, the combined use of insect oil also brings high energy and antioxidant properties to the feed. This reduces the need for other elements in normal feed composition and makes the feed more natural and bioavailable.

4. What challenges did you face in developing and marketing insect-based feed, and how did you overcome them?

Nik Mulakkal: The major challenge was developing the right substrate compositions for feeding the insects in our larvae. The right substrate means controllability in composition with limited chances of contamination, whether that be microorganisms or heavy metals, which are common in most waste collection points.

So, our breakthrough was experimenting with various mixes – almost 50 trials were completed to find the right blend of bio-secure materials that can give us the consistent quality of insect protein.

Another major challenge was to enter the high price-sensitive Indian market with a quality-focused product – this is capping our pace of growth. We are happy with the customer repetition who gets convinced once they use the product and ask for our brand for a second time.

5. How accessible are Zewa Feeds' products in the market? Are they available nationwide or only in specific regions?

Nik Mulakkal: We are currently penetrating pan India through distributors from most of the states/regions and we are present online on our website and Amazon. We aim to be available everywhere across India by strengthening our distributor network and promoting in local markets before going for exports next year.

6. What future innovations or product lines can we expect from Zewa Feeds, especially in the context of sustainable and eco-friendly pet nutrition?

Nik Mulakkal: The goal of Zewa Feeds is to provide healthy, sustainable nutrition to every pet. With the support of various pioneering R&D centers in India, we are currently working on several formulations that entirely substitute soy and fish meal inclusions in feeds and can revolutionize the concept of animal nutrition altogether. There will be a series of new products launching every 3 months for at least the next few years.