In the world of helicopter farming, often considered anchored to traditional methods and artisanal gestures, there are those who are introducing cutting-edge technological solutions to improve yields, reduce environmental impact, and intercept the growing demand for a product that is particularly appreciated and rooted in Italian tradition. Ubaldo De Santis, co-founder of Snelix, tells Startupbusiness how the Apulian start-up is redefining snail farming, combining innovation and respect for local tradition.
“The idea of Snelix was born from the desire of Simone, my partner, and myself to create an entrepreneurial project that was different from the digital activities we were already following. Simone proposed me to start a snail farm, inspired by his family’s tradition: I was sceptical at first, as I did not know the snail market. But, being curious, I started to read up on it and discovered an extremely traditional industry, with outdated procedures and no innovation. We started field-testing the limits of traditional snail farming, and were then inspired by more advanced sectors such as vertical farming. We said to ourselves: ‘You cannot raise cows or pigs on multiple levels, but snails can’. So we came up with the idea of exploiting vertical logic and a controlled microclimate to improve yield, performance and environmental impact, building a technological model that could revolutionise the whole sector.
The decision to found the company in Apulia: ‘The Apulian context had a decisive influence. From a biological point of view, the climatic conditions and the presence of the open Helix opercolata variety, the monacella, immediately showed us fertile ground. It is a very valuable but challenging snail to breed, especially since it digs as much as 30-40 cm to protect itself during hibernation. However, this challenge also represents a competitive advantage, because the monacella has extraordinary organoleptic and conservation characteristics. Moreover, Apulia has a gastronomic tradition strongly linked to the snail, especially in Salento, where the very famous Sagra della Moniceddha is celebrated. This has allowed us to start from a solid local demand and fit into an ecosystem that already knows and appreciates the product. At the strategic level, then, our territorial rootedness has allowed us to draw on empirical know-how passed down from generation to generation, which we have combined with our digital skills to really innovate the sector’.
“Our first move was to listen to and learn from previous generations: we wanted to preserve the cultural heritage associated with the snail without distorting it. We therefore observed traditional methods, understood their limitations and asked ourselves how to overcome them with modern technology. Today, Snelix’s breeding is based on precise control of the microclimate: we regulate temperature, humidity, ventilation, light-dark cycles and other key parameters with automation and sensor systems. This allows us to reduce waste, improve biological performance and make the snail available practically all year round, while raising quality. We started with respect for the roots, but brought the process innovation that the industry lacked”.
Snails are quite a common food in some regions of Italy, how do you build up a solid consumer base? ‘In southern Italy there is a very strong cultural connection with snails: it is not an ‘exotic’ food but part of the tradition. In the North, on the other hand, it might be perceived as a niche product. To build a consumer base, we focus a lot on nutrition education and experiential moments: showcooking, tastings, participation in fairs and storytelling about the nutritional and environmental values of the snail. In addition, snails are ‘our’ protein, which has been part of Italian food history for centuries: just think of ancient Rome or their rural use as ‘protein for the poor’. Our task is to rediscover its value in a modern and sustainable way’.
Snelix recently received an investment from Farming Future and ToSeed: ‘It has been a journey built on relationships and shared vision. The first contact came through Giovanni De Caro (Volano), whom I had met at a Startup Weekend. He put us in touch with Luigi Galimberti, founder of ToSeed. Luigi defined the heliculture sector as a ‘captive market’: demand is increasingly high, national supply often insufficient and with obvious traceability problems. Our technology promises to deseasonalise and make sustainable a model that would otherwise stand still. ToSeed then introduced us to Farming Future, a fund specialising in agrifood and sustainability. They immediately grasped the potential of Snelix: we are solving a structural market problem with a scalable approach, based on technological vertical farms and strict control of each production phase. The investment allowed us to go from proof of concept to the realisation of a first industrial-scale demo plant. With the first round of investment, we were able to validate our technology and investigate the biological response of the snails in a controlled microclimate. We are now working on a modular demo plant, where we will manage both the breeding and fattening phases, with the aim of arriving at a finished product ready for the market. The plan is to consolidate in Italy, where there is a huge mismatch between supply and demand, and then expand into Europe: we are thinking especially of Spain and France, countries with a structurally high consumption of snails. Furthermore, we want to diversify our business lines, exploiting slime, shells and droppings for fertilisers and cosmetics, always with a view to the circular economy’.
Innovation is about bringing a new vision, but it is also about keeping sustainability aspects at the forefront: “Sustainability is the principle around which our entire project revolves. Heliculture in itself is a form of protein production with a much lower impact than cattle or pigs: water consumption, emissions and land requirements are greatly reduced. But we want to go further, adopting sensor technology and automation to optimise every resource and have an efficient, replicable and regenerative production system. Our snail farms are designed to maintain a low water and energy consumption cycle, with constant attention to environmental parameters. We want to make ours a new agricultural solution: smart, modular and ecosystem-friendly. Doing business in a traditional sector requires patience and determination. We faced cultural barriers, mistrust and practical setup problems. However, we never thought of giving up: every time an obstacle emerges, we ask ‘how do we solve it?’ instead of ‘is it worth it?’. It is the mental approach that makes the difference: the passion for this project and the conviction that there is a real market to serve have always pushed us to continue.
The importance of operating in the context of a supportive ecosystem: ‘Apulia is full of ferment, creativity and interesting ideas. What is missing, however, is a robust support structure that accompanies projects from proof of concept to actual execution. It is true that there are calls for tenders and incubators, such as SprintX, led by Diego Antonacci, which has done an excellent job in the early stage, but often, once the initial phase is over, there is a lack of sufficient capital and acceleration paths suitable for the agrifood sector. In order to grow systemically, we need more targeted funding, less bureaucracy and more streamlined fund disbursement mechanisms. Innovation in agriculture is strategic, and I hope that in the coming years the region will make a further qualitative leap in this direction’.
“Five years from now, we want to be the benchmark in Europe for technological helicopter farming, with a highly scalable production model, low labour costs, minimal environmental impact and premium quality. We will not stop at national borders, because the snail is a product with global potential, especially in strong markets such as France and Spain. Beyond that, we are already looking at the more extreme future: we are studying the possibility of breeding snails in microgravity, because biologically they could be the first proteins that can be bred in space. It sounds like science fiction, but it represents the logical evolution of a vertical farming model that is not limited to the Earth. As for Italian heliculture, I believe we will see more and more start-ups bringing innovative ideas, bringing tradition and technology together. It is an inevitable and, for us, extremely exciting path’.
From the words of Ubaldo De Santis (in the photo with the other co-founders) emerges the image of an Apulian heliculture that, drawing on tradition and deep ties with the territory, is projected towards a highly technological and sustainable future. Snelix wants to become the reference player for an alternative protein diet, with a reduced ecological impact and an ever-expanding market potential. An ambitious challenge, which aims to make the snail a resource of excellence, from Apulia to the frontiers of space.
Note to reader: the author is CEO of Beeco and works with investment funds active in agritech, which may have supported or will support some of the startups mentioned in the future.
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