Building a sustainable future,
one generation at a time
Turning waste into UK-grown protein and better farming inputs.
Family-led. Science-backed. Operationally proven.
Fairman Knight & Sons is a family-run, sustainable farming business operating the UK’s largest commercial-scale insect Biotechnology Business. We turn surplus food waste into high‑value nutrition and soil health products using black soldier fly biology. Fully-controlled, science‑led and managed in a dedicated environment.
Built on science and experience
Three decades in environmental markets taught us what works.
We’ve built Fairman Knight & Sons on proven principles, tested rigorously against the highest standards of operations.
Upcycling 40,000 tonnes of contracted food waste, sourced within a 15-mile radius
120,000sqft facility in South Lincolnshire’s UK Food Valley
Protein, soil improver, bio-oil, and polysaccharides
Insect farming is alive and thriving
We don’t theorise about insect farming.
We do it. Every day, across a facility built to last generations.
Square feet operational
Production sites live
Largest in Europe
Mile sourcing radius
Practical, not speculative
We chose proven industrial systems and rebuilt them to our standards, commissioning production in measured steps to protect uptime and bank learning.
Circular by design
Waste, much of which would otherwise be incinerated or committed to landfill, becomes clean inputs for UK supply chains — with multiple outputs and clear routes to market.
Trust, built in daylight
We have set food-grade standards for the industry, with full traceability. We work in partnership with APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) and Trading Standards to help set credible benchmarks.
Two urgent problems. One circular solution.
The UK produces millions of tonnes of surplus food waste, and too much still ends up releasing land based emissions.
At the same time, farming relies heavily on imported protein feed with locked-in emissions and fragile supply chains. We use bioconversion to turn organic waste into valuable products that support a more resilient UK food system.
Investors & Funders
Support a circular economy, support a UK-first.
Waste suppliers
Food waste turned measurable circular outcomes, with reporting and transparency built in.
Feed customers
UK-sourced, traceable protein with supply security and science-led production.
Trusted partners who know the difference
Meet our people
Experience meets innovation, expertise meets dedication.
Our team unites decades of experience in environmental finance, food processing, and entomology, with a shared belief that UK agriculture needs better solutions.
Practical insights. Fewer buzzwords. More proof.
If you’d like to see the operation first-hand, we’d love to show you around — and talk through how we work, what we produce, and where we’re headed next.
Latest Articles
Browse by theme
How past experience can sharpen future endeavours in industry
Discover how our CEO and Co-founder, Julian Knight’s career history and experiences continue to support his work today.
Growing skills from the ground up in insect biotechnology
Hear from CFO and Co-founder, William Fairman, about how Fairman Knight & Sons is working to grow skills from the ground up…
From carbon credits to circular economy assets: Why I moved from financing climate outcomes to building them
Explore how our CEO and Co-founder, Julian Knight, arrived at the idea for Fairman Knight & Sons, and the career path that led to turning environmental intent into measurable action, in the…
Fairman Knight & Sons is hitting the headlines
Fairman Knight & Sons is graduating insect farming from a ‘revolutionary idea’ to a vital pillar of UK national infrastructure.
Insect farming isn’t over. It’s finally grown up.
The story that “insect farming is over” confuses a few high‑profile missteps with the reality that is unfolding on the ground. The sector hasn’t died. But it
Visit Fairman Knight & Sons
If you’d like to see the operation first-hand, we’d love to show you around — and talk through how we work, what we produce, and where we’re headed next.