ABOUT US
From Feasibility to UK-First
Discover the journey, relationships, and science that have brought Fairman Knight & Sons to fruition.
How Our Business Began
Fairman Knight & Sons is a partnership built on complementary experience and a shared conviction that UK farming needs shorter, more secure, and cleaner supply chains.
Our Co-founders, William Fairman, Chief Farming Officer, and Julian Knight, Chief Executive Officer, sit at the helm of the business. With respective backgrounds in UK broiler farming and Ross 440 club for EPEF, environmental finance, carbon markets, and global leadership roles, the pair
work to their strengths to keep Fairman Knight & Sons proactively evolving. The two met through their sons’ rugby team, and a practical question became a plan: if most of a broiler farm’s carbon footprint is locked up in imported feed, what would it take to make feed local, reliable, and low‑carbon? The answer? Black soldier fly biology - valorising local food waste into high-nutrition, high‑value protein and soil inputs, designed around the UK Food Valley so logistics, impact, and benefits stay close to home.
Why Now?
Recent legislative shifts support insect protein being introduced into animal feed, and UK demand already far outstrips home supply. Shorter supply chains, clearer provenance, and measurable climate gains aren’t optional extras - they are prerequisites for resilient food systems. Fairman Knight & Sons exists to meet that demand with quality, reliability, and transparency. We host visits, share data, and engage directly with manufacturers, retailers, and local authorities because trust is built in daylight.
We’re Proudly Funded By
From Idea to Execution
Early trials and vendor due diligence led the team to reject closed, high‑grade‑feed models that didn’t fit a circular economy. Instead, they opted for proven, modular mechanisation and secured a dormant industrial kit - from Tesco, Daventry no less - that could be re‑engineered to Fairman Knight & Sons standards in Holbeach. Funding from experienced agriculture and food science investors led by Chairman Mark Aitchison helped accelerate the move from feasibility to production status.
The science falls to Hatem Karboul, our Senior Entomologist with 10 years of
experience in international BSF production, R&D, and process optimisation. While non‑Executive Directors Mark Aitchison (Chairman), Geoff Meacock, and Ed Hauck bring deep agriculture, processing, and brand‑building experience, strengthening commercial discipline and route‑to‑market.
Erika Knight, Head of Personnel, and Jade Fairman, Creative Designer, look after our people, brand, and community. Anchoring culture, recruitment, and brand expression, the duo considers every detail, down to sustainable packaging and communications.
Building Where it Matters
Here in the UK Food Valley, every day, a significant share of the nation’s fresh produce passes by our doors. We purposefully designed our facility in Holbeach to support that flow, taking in roughly 40,000 tonnes of local surplus food waste each year, saving it from landfill, and turning it into high‑value protein and soil health products. Waste that would otherwise emit methane - no matter where it is destined to end up - becomes a clean input for livestock and pet food. Circular by design, local by default. It’s a cycle that wouldn’t be possible without the ingenious black soldier fly.
What We Make
INSECT PROTEIN
A highly digestible, omega‑rich ingredient for pet, livestock, and aquaculture nutrition.
BIO‑OIL
A functional input, it’s being explored for multiple uses, from skin care to an antibacterial alternative in calf milk.
FRASS AND CHITIN
Soil amendment and medical‑grade material that supports plant resilience with several high‑value applications, including wastewater treatment.
Each output reflects the same principle: nothing wasted, everything purposeful.
We’re Proud Members of
Engineering Trust
We chose proven industrial systems and rebuilt them to our standards. In just ten weeks, we moved from farming system demolition to the first production room’s racking being complete. Today, nine rooms are in commission, with production continuing to scale in measured steps. Our senior entomology team guides the black soldier fly life cycle, from the “love cages” to neonates, nursery, and activation, ensuring consistency at full-scale production. We have also partnered with APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency), a vital engagement to collaboratively help us set a credible industry benchmark.
What’s Next
We are scaling production, strengthening local logistics with EV haulage, and investing in on‑site renewable energy. We will continue to publish thought leadership pieces and white papers that separate evidence from noise, and we will welcome partners who share our commitment to building a circular economy that works - for farmers, manufacturers, and households across the UK.