An Irish snail farmer, who breeds three million snails a year, is planning to use their slime and poo to make products for the beauty markets.
Peter Monaghan, who has an escargot-topped omelette named after him by award-winning chef Richard Corrigan, is also about to start operation at Ireland’s first processing unit for snails for export.
Beauty products such as moisturiser, made from snail slime (mucin) will be available to buy through Peter’s heliciculture company Inis Escargot from July 14th.
The entrepreneur received planning permission in January from Cavan County Council for a 278.7sq m (3,000sq ft) unit, including a laboratory, at his farm at Virginia and hopes to start home-based production in the next six to twelve months.
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[ Snail farming in Ireland: An ideal climate with a product in high demandOpens in new window ]
Snail slime (mucin) is used in certain beauty products, such as face masks or moisturisers as an ingredient. Some product makers claim their products can help smooth wrinkles, heal damaged skin faster and reduce acne scars.
The new building will also see Peter produce and preserve snail caviar, dubbed escargot pearls, which is much sought after, especially in Dubai and Singapore.
At present, he exports fresh snails mostly to Greece for processing but is now hoping he can do it at his Cavan farm, which will hugely increase the snails value.
“At the minute, fresh snails can be sold for about €4.50 a kilo but processed snails can fetch anything from €35-€100 per kilo,” he said.
“Our new facility will allow us to gather snail poo and mucus and export it to companies who will add it to creams, soaps and moisturisers for us. The products will then be returned to us and we will sell a wide range of beauty products and mucus serum through our website inisescargot.ie
“There is apparently a natural repairant in snail mucus which can act as an anti-ageing cream. Some studies also suggest the mucus may be beneficial in the treatment of skin problems such as dermatitis and eczema.
“At present, our beauty products will be sold online from July 14th, which is exciting. We also hope to harvest the snail poo in time, but that will be after we get the processing plant and caviar commissioned and running smoothly.
“We are also hoping to break ground into snail caviar in the next 12 months
Peter, who is also suckler farmer began to research the idea of a snail farm ten years ago and now has a breeding room of three million snails, one million of which are kept to continue breeding on the farm.
“Our snails are under a complete controlled diet so from start to finish they are on special organic food so we know exactly what these snails have eaten.
“Snails are low in calories and fat and rich in iron and other minerals,” he said..
The snails also have to be fenced in. “We have to use an electric fence, believe it or not to keep them contained as well as netting to stave off predators.
“People think snails are slow but when you’ve 10,000 of them moving one meter an hour, they can escape pretty fast,” he said with a laugh.
“The Irish market is one I was never going to focus too much on as the European market is huge but I really feel tastes are changing here. We served 1300 portions, served in garlic butter, at a local market recently and only two people weren’t keen on them.”