How to start a snail farming business? Business portal paths to success Farm for growing grape snails

Such a non-traditional type of business for Russia as snail farming could become a very interesting business. We are talking about grape snails (from the Latin Helix pomatia), which are also called large-growing, apple, moon, edible, roof snails, etc.

Main consumers of this delicious product in such countries as France (annual import of about 6 thousand tons), Sweden, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Italy. According to research results, the total annual product need is more than 100 thousand tons. At the same time, demand is satisfied by manufacturers only by 60-70%.

In the conditions of our country, it is undoubtedly difficult to claim high demand for this product, but even less demand exists and manufacturers could become regular suppliers for Escargot French restaurants and for industrial enterprises that produce semi-finished products for markets, beating French and other foreign ones in price terms farms, for which transport and customs costs are a mandatory item of expenditure.

In addition, there is such a little-known line of business as sale of snail caviar, which has unique taste qualities (mushroom taste) and has recently become a delicacy after the development of a salting method (Fr. D. Pieru).

Another effective direction for selling products is medical industry. Snails serve as an effective raw material base for the production of medications with a different spectrum of action, from restoring metabolism, rejuvenating the body, bronchorelaxants to eliminating problems with potency (very strong aphrodisiacs are produced from snails). Snail meat promotes the regeneration of osteochondral tissue, helps with gastrointestinal diseases, and is recommended for pregnant women as a natural source of calcium.

Grape snail meat contains protein (10%), fats (30%), carbohydrates (5%), vitamin B6, B12, calcium, magnesium, iron.

In general, for those interested, we will describe the main points of building and maintaining a snail farm.

Composition of the main fixed and variable costs for organizing a snail farm per 1 ton of output:

1. Registration of a legal entity or individual entrepreneur, including opening a bank account, registration, obtaining all permits (described in detail earlier);
2. A plot of land with suitable vegetation (above 10 cm) of a size proportional to the planned production volumes (with natural feeding, 1 sq. m = 30-40 snails (approx. 1 kg), and with artificial feeding, 1 sq. m = 200 snails) on ownership or lease rights;
3. Premises for young animals (18 sq. m) and broodstock (4 sq. m);
4. Shelves for snails (4-5);
5. Boxes for snails for sale (8 pcs. 1x0.5 m);
6. Cuvettes for young animals (150 pieces, 0.1 mg each);
7. Ditches for laying eggs (200 pcs. 12x8x6 cm);
8. Aviary for young animals (400 sq. m);
9. 750 adult broodstock (15 kg);
10. Feed (milk powder approx. 15 kg, mixed feed approx. 1350 kg or greens; chalk approx. 300 kg). For 40 snails, the consumption is 2 kg of feed.

Technological process very simple.

For propagation, snails are placed in pairs in an appropriate container.

Snails are hermaphrodites, but mating is necessary for fertilization. It usually occurs from March to May (after hibernation). Then comes the laying of eggs by both individuals of the pair; after laying, the uterine individuals are transferred to an enclosure, and the eggs are placed in an incubator. After 6 weeks, the young animals can already be transferred to an adult enclosure. The entire process of reproduction and rearing occurs practically without the participation of the breeder. The only functions of the owner of a snail farm are complementary feeding, protection from “predators” (for example, worms, insects, shrews, lizards, moles, hedgehogs), as well as container-enclosure movement of individuals, depending on the stage of the reproduction and rearing processes.

Productivity Grape snails produce about 40-60 eggs from each uterine individual per year.

Growth cycle approximately 1.5 years (from April to August next year).

There are varieties of snails with a much shorter maturation cycle. For example, Helix Aspera Maxima (Tunisia) ripens in 6 months.

For implementation individuals weighing 20 g and measuring 5 cm are received. Selling price 3-5 euros per kilogram. Prices are dictated by the exchanges of such “snail giant” countries as France, Spain, and Italy. But you need to be prepared for the fact that at the start-up stage it will be difficult to reach this level (in terms of production volume, first of all) and therefore there may be a need to sell snails to buyers at bargain prices of 1.5-2 euros per kg.

Generally, payback period of the project is approx. 1.5 years.

Profitability from 100 kg of broodstock about 4 tons of product in 1.5 years, in terms of price 360 ​​thousand rubles. This is subject to effective distribution arrangements being reached.

Opening a farm to grow edible snails can be a good investment for those who dream of starting a business in agriculture. No special knowledge is required (but this does not mean that you should not educate yourself by studying marketing and the rules of successful trading) to set up this business. At the same time, a snail farm can provide you with a stable income.

The purchase of snails for the food industry is on the rise. Consumer interest in exotic, tasty and nutritious snail meat has grown significantly. Today in Europe, the average purchase price per kilogram of snails is 3-5 euros, and the total turnover is approaching 10 billion euros, despite the ongoing crisis that has gripped European countries and the whole world.

How to open a snail farm?

Firstly, to start growing snails you must own a large enough plot of land to “graze” them, basic knowledge about the taste preferences of your charges and, of course, faith in yourself and the desire to invest time and effort in your enterprise. Since snail farming is not very common, with enough effort you have a good chance of succeeding.

A business for growing cephalopods should be started in early spring. We place snail eggs in a moist peat substrate in early spring. You need to make sure that the container is in a warm place and that the substrate does not dry out; to do this, periodically irrigate it with a spray bottle. After new snails are born, they begin to be fattened.

Grape snails can be grown both indoors (ventilated, well-lit barn, greenhouse, hangar) and outdoors. Outdoor cultivation is preferable, as snails need more daylight.

Wooden racks for snails to “spend the night”

If the snails live on the street, you need to fence off the selected area with a strong net, and plant wild grapes, clover, and nettles on it. Snails also happily eat zucchini, salads, cabbage, dandelions, and burdock leaves. It is vital to give the snails a calcium supplement, which is necessary for the formation of the shell. In its absence, snails can eat eggs or young animals, which is extremely undesirable for you as a breeder. As an additive, you can use crushed eggshells, pure chalk, and the like. Periodically, the area with snails needs to be irrigated, as snails love moisture.

The food you give to snails should be only natural, without biological additives or chemicals, or the snails will simply die. This is why snails are so prized by gourmets. In addition to their taste, snails are valuable for their high protein content and the absence of cholesterol. Snails have 30% more protein than an egg, and 5-6 snails have the same amount of protein as 100 grams of chicken meat.

Snails reach commercial size at 2-3 years. The snail lays about forty eggs once a year, from which small snails hatch within a month. About half grow to adulthood, but with good care and favorable conditions, this percentage increases significantly.

What you need to open a snail farm

First you need to purchase a broodstock, approximately 700-1000 snails. But you can save a lot if you collect wild snails yourself; fortunately, they are widespread in our country. It is better to do this after rain, when snails are especially active. If you still decide to buy snails, you can search from local breeders, or in Poland, where more attention is paid to snail breeding. You also need to take care of planting a sufficient amount of food for the snails, creating a fence and making special wooden floorings under which the snails hide during the day. From a plot of 4000 square meters you can collect 10 tons of snails. You can harvest two crops per year.

They can be sold both on the local market to catering establishments and abroad. The demand for garden and grape snails in Europe is very high, so with due persistence you can establish contacts with regular customers.

To set up a snail farm, it is better to use a plot of land located far from large settlements and major roads, since snails are sensitive to noise, bright light and vibration.

Along with a snail farm, you can set up an apiary with several hives on your site, which will increase your income.

To organize the cultivation of snails on a farm, a novice entrepreneur must purchase the appropriate equipment. Today we will look at the business idea “Snail Farm” and talk about all the nuances of its creation. If you decide to start this particular business, then you first need to find a plot, the area of ​​which will depend on the planned number of snails to be grown. When calculating the area of ​​the plot, you should be guided by the fact that per 1 sq. m. there should be 30 individuals. If necessary, this area will need to be sown with plants that snails prefer to feed on. There is always the possibility of increasing the snail planting density per 1 square meter. (up to 200 individuals), but for this an optimal food supply must be created in combination with artificial feeding.

You also need to familiarize yourself with our earlier snail articles: “” - the most profitable breed for food and ornamental breeding; "" - general ideas about the snail business.

To get 1 ton of snails, the breeding core (750 adults) must weigh 15 kg. The broodstock is kept in a covered area of ​​4 square meters. Incubation (60 thousand incubated specimens) and rearing of young animals should be carried out in a room with an area of ​​18 square meters. Adult snails that are intended for sale are kept in boxes measuring 1 x 0.5 m. The number of these boxes is 8. Young animals are kept in 150 cuvettes, it is better if they are plastic. You also need to purchase 4-5 wooden or metal shelving. Oviposition provides for the presence of 200 ditches in which it will take place. The size of such ditches is 120 × 80 x 60 cm. There must be a fenced enclosure, which is necessary for raising young animals. The area of ​​the enclosure is 400 sq. m. For feeding purposes, you need to purchase 15 kg of dry milk replacer. If you plan to feed the snails with compound feed, then you will need about 1.35 tons of it. The compound feed can be replaced with young plants. You will also need 300 kg of chalk. Chalk is a source of calcium, which is needed to strengthen snail houses.

If the planned conditions for growing snails are close to natural conditions, then the height of the plants should be 10 cm, and the planting density should be per 1 square meter. no more than 20 individuals. If the height of the plants is less than 10 cm, then fertilizing is necessary.

The only thing the farmer should do in this case is to control the reproduction process, the growth of snails, feed and water them, and protect them from predators. Grape snails are a favorite food of hedgehogs.

Expert opinion

Roman Efremov

Work experience: 5 years. Specialization: all areas of jurisprudence.

Breeding snails on snail farms ensures that the meat is free from various contaminants, including pesticides and heavy metals. To organize a snail farming business you need to follow a certain procedure:

1. First, brood stock is purchased, from which ready-made individuals are obtained for sale and subsequent representatives for breeding.
2. After waking up from hibernation, the snails begin to reproduce. This happens from March to May.
3. Snails are considered hermaphrodites. However, adults contain reproductive organs of both sexes, so to ensure reproduction they should be placed in pairs in separate containers.
4. Each individual lays an average of 60 eggs during the year. After this, the eggs should be placed in a specialized incubator, and adult snails should be placed in a common enclosure.
5. In order to provide for the young animals, they must be kept separately until they reach the age of 6 weeks.
6. Full maturity of the snail occurs in the 2nd year of life.

Snails need to be sold when an individual has reached a weight of 20 grams and is about 5 cm long.

I’ll add a little about the necessary conditions of detention.Snails are considered heat-loving creatures that are very difficult to tolerate low temperatures. When exposed to frost, they may hibernate or die. Since in Russia there are no conditions for natural breeding of snails, to organize a farm it is necessary to equip a greenhouse or an enclosed space.

To achieve an economic effect from growing snails, a number of rules must be followed for their normal life support:

1. The air humidity in the room or greenhouse is at least 85%.
2. The optimal ambient temperature is 20-25 C.
3. Mucus and dirt regularly appear in enclosures, so they should be constantly cleaned.

At the snail farm, you need to install a heater and a high-quality air ventilation system. It is also worth treating the premises with products against rodents that can feed on snails.

Breeding snails in artificial conditions requires certain technical equipment. It is advisable to arrange:

• Separate enclosures for keeping young animals;
• Ditches for laying eggs;
• Incubator to ensure normal conditions for the hatching of young animals;
• Boxes for subsequent sale;
• Racks for adults.

Where to sell snails? In Russia they are rarely eaten, however, even in our country it is possible to organize long-term cooperation with customers. The latter are:

• Restaurants specializing in European and Asian cuisine, offering their visitors snail dishes;
• Enterprises engaged in the preservation of delicacies, including snail meat and caviar;
• Enterprises that produce semi-finished products from exotic meat;
• Cosmetology and pharmaceutical companies.

The most profitable option for selling snails would be to supply valuable meat to European countries. Here, per kilogram of the delicacy the price ranges from 3-8 euros.

This is interesting : read our others - “ “, “ “ and “ “.

A business related to the cultivation of grape snails also allows you to receive additional income from the sale of salted snail caviar. This delicacy is the invention of the Frenchman Pieru; in particular, in 2010, he first salted snail caviar. This food product has good taste and is expensive. According to these two indicators, snail caviar is superior to black caviar. It is noteworthy that such a business does not require significant initial investments. That is, with minimal costs you can open a very promising and profitable business. The main thing in this matter is to think through all the steps to opening a business and outline ways to sell the snails.

Snail farm in the village of Parfentyevo near Kolomna. “Snail driver” and part-time guide Anatoly Cherepakha with his charges Photo: Pavel Volkov

Several years of import substitution have shown that sanctions are rather beneficial for agriculture. For example, farmer Sergei Balaev is engaged in breeding a delicacy - the grape snail, the demand for which is growing in our country.

A farm in the village of Parfentyevo, a few minutes drive from the center of the Kolomna Kremlin, turned out to be ideal for breeding grape snails. So far, this is the only farm in the Moscow region where it was possible to grow shellfish on an industrial scale.

Reutov resident Sergei Balaev started farming back in the 2000s. True, the story began unexpectedly: Sergei went to the bird market to buy aquarium fish...

He left with a larger purchase - four sheep, which he registered at his summer cottage. Over time, expansion of the “living space” was required. So, at first I had to rent a farm in the Oryol region, but then I moved closer.

And so in 2012, he and his horned charges ended up on a farm in Parfentyevo. On the site of the destroyed Sergievsky state farm, Sergei rebuilt a new farm and established the production of cheese, cottage cheese and yoghurt.

It would seem that things are going uphill. Why the sudden desire for such an exotic business?

Sanctions are not scary for snails

A person with an entrepreneurial spirit never sits still. Thoughts about how to improve your business are constantly spinning in your head. We started our conversation with Sergei at a large log table, where gastronomic master classes on preparing snails are held.

- Sergey, how did the idea of ​​breeding shellfish come about?

A lot of tourists come to my farm, I need to entertain them with something. There are raccoons, horses, geese, but this, as they say, is a standard set. And in 2014, in the wake of sanctions and import substitution, there was talk on the Internet that many people wanted to open a snail farm: it didn’t seem to be expensive, but the profit was good. But no one's case got off the ground. I am the first.

- Where did gastropods come from?

I decided to combine business with pleasure, went on vacation to Crimea by car and collected snails in the fields there. In the end, it turned out to be 300 kilograms. I brought them all safely to the farm, but they didn’t take root... Apparently, our climate was not suitable.

- But that didn't stop you...

On the contrary, it spurred me on! I turned to a snail breeder in the Krasnodar region. And the batch of mollusks quickly multiplied on Kolomna land.

- How do they cope with our winter? Do they really not freeze?

With the onset of cold weather, the snail goes underground to a depth of 30 centimeters and falls into suspended animation. And in the spring, after hibernation, they appear on the surface.

- How in demand is this exotic product?

We buy snails for breeding and for cooking - both at home and in restaurants.

The last order was for 300 kilos.

- But not everyone is able to put a slug in their mouth. Where does this interest come from?

For myself, I explain this by the fact that many people have tried snails abroad. By the way, snail caviar is no less in demand.

- Snail caviar?

Yes, in cost and quality it is comparable to black caviar. True, we don’t produce it yet.

- Well, how relevant was the story of import substitution in your case?

Well, here you can compare for yourself. A package of 12 snails from a French manufacturer will cost about six times more. So this is some kind of import substitution.

- How many shellfish live here on the farm now?

No one counted it exactly, but about a ton.

- Who visits your farm?

From ordinary people to deputies. They come to eat ready-made snails and take them with them, some buy them for breeding.

- During the excursions, you conduct a master class on cooking snails. Where did you gain experience?

Initially, I had no experience in cooking, I learned by trial and error. I chose the most popular recipe for the master class - “Burgundy-style snail”.

- Have you tried snail abroad, whose tastes better?

The French chef who prepared escargot* from our snail said that they have exactly the same thing in France. But it seems to me that he is disingenuous, ours is softer and fatter. Abroad they have adapted to selling snail meat and they are doing this trick. Snails are taken out of large shells, their meat is sold separately, and then smaller snails are placed in empty shells and sold to restaurants.

- Are you planning to expand your farm? Maybe you will breed some other exotic animals?

Frog! The environment here is the most suitable - the swamp of the village of Parfentyevo. I studied the matter in detail, but this is in theory, in practice, alas,

Menu for gastropods

From theory, I decided to move on to practice, more precisely, to examining mollusks. Frankly, I had no idea what a snail farm could look like. Anatoly Cherepakha undertook to dispel my fantasies on this topic. He has been in the village of Parfentyevo almost from the very foundation of the farm. I moved here from Zaporozhye and stayed that way. First I grazed the cows, and then the snails. It was drizzling unpleasantly outside, but it turned out to be the most pleasant weather for snails.

We released them from the brooders, so watch your step, they have crawled across our lawn,” warns Anatoly. - We woke up from the water, now they will “mow” the lawn.

In some places the grass really looks like it has been cut down by a lawnmower. I approach the brooder, which looks more like the frame of a wooden greenhouse. Only at the top there are watering umbrellas. And the walls are covered with a soft mesh, along which snails constantly crawl. There is a narrow wooden flooring laid out in the middle of the brooder, and small feeding boards on the right and left. Finely chopped food for gastropods is placed on them.

Is it true that snails only eat grape leaves? - I’m interested.

It turns out this is a myth.

Their favorite foods are dandelion, nettles, cucumbers, carrots, but most of all they love cornmeal. “They grow on it by leaps and bounds,” says Anatoly and looks for the most well-fed ward in the grass.

Then he picks up several more snails of different sizes in his palms.

This one,” pointing to a mollusk the size of a large plum, “will be used for stuffing; smaller ones, the size of a grape, will be used for breeding,” explains the snail shepherd.

And suddenly he unexpectedly brings the collected snails to my ear.

Do you hear? They're squeaking! - Anatoly states, not without pleasure.

There is almost no hassle with such charges; after the rain, I collected them, woke them up and fed them several times a day.

Do snails grow fast? - I ask the shepherd.

Pretty fast. In captivity, they would have grown to the size we need in three years, but here it’s only a year and a half,” says Anatoly, without letting go of one of the largest snails.

And then I remember that snail is not only valuable meat, but also... a cosmetic product!

Anatoly, are your pets suitable for cosmetology? - I couldn’t resist asking.

These are not, but the tropical Achatina (landa large mollusk that some people keep as a pet. -"VM" ) They are just used in cosmetology. By the way, we have one. My name is Masha. “We demonstrate it during master classes,” Anatoly boasted.

Why don't you divorce? The business is profitable, and it is in demand.

They take a painfully long time to grow, and the meat is tough, so one Mashka is enough for us,” admitted Anatoly.

You can eat boots with garlic too

Well, when you’re at a snail farm, how can you not try the signature dish - “Burgundy-style snail”. The photojournalist and I ordered two dozen between us. It must be said that our snails turned out to be more impressive in size compared to the Greek ones. And the garlic aroma even aroused the appetite of the photographer, who looked at my idea with skepticism. True, not for long. As soon as he tried the snail, all the passion disappeared.

However, this did not stop me. The snail really turned out to be juicier than its western relative. Perhaps our nettles and dandelions played a role. The taste of snail meat is neither like chicken nor beef, but rather like seafood with spices. But in any case, it cannot replace real meat; after all, snail dishes are still exotic for us.

*Escargot is an exquisite French dish made from grape snails, served with dry white wine.

SNAILS BURGUNDY STYLE

For the recipe you will need:

snails - 100 g, white wine - 1 l, vinegar 3% - 200 g, flour - 3 tbsp. l., carrots - 2 pcs., onions - 2–3 pcs., parsley - to taste, bay leaf, thyme - to taste, salt, snail oil - 800 g.

For snail oil:

onion - 100 g, garlic - 3 cloves, parsley (chopped) - 80 g, salt - 25 g, ground pepper - to taste butter - 700 g.

Pour cold water over the snails, bring to a boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Rinse them with cold water and dry with a clean towel. Then remove them from the shell and cut off the black tip.

Rinse the cleaned snails again and put them in a saucepan, pour in white wine and the same amount of water so that all the snails are covered with liquid. Add 2 chopped carrots, 2 onions, thyme, parsley root, celery branch, green onions.

Add salt at the rate of 10 g per liter and cook for 4 hours. Then remove from heat and leave to cool in this broth.

While the snails are boiling, wash and boil the shells in soda water. Then rinse them with clean water and dry.

Prepare snail oil. To do this, finely chop the onion, garlic and parsley, add salt and ground black pepper. Put soft butter there and mix everything thoroughly.

Chop the snail meat and stir. Then stuff the shells with meat, covering with a good portion of the same oil. Place the stuffed shells, butter side up, on a platter and place them in a hot oven for 7-8 minutes before serving.

GRAPE SNAIL

Grape snail- one of the largest terrestrial mollusks.

The spherical twisted shell of the grape snail reaches a height of 5 cm and a width of 4.5 cm, has 4–4.5 whorls, ending in a wide mouth.

The shell is yellowish-brown in color with wide dark brown stripes running along it.

FACT

In the capital's restaurants escargot will cost from 1000 to 2000 rubles.

BY THE WAY

Use only 6 snails In terms of energy value, it can be compared with 1.5 kilograms of beef.