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How many people here are in business? - 2006/02/10 12:34I'm hoping to spur some more discussion here on the business side of the worm business. I know many people here are involved in Organics as a business, and I know from past busines experience that sharing info can be very usefull to everyone. Some may worry about giving away trade secrets, or helping the competition, but my read on it is that the market is so large, and growing so quickly that none of us here are likely to rub up against each other in a competitive way, and cooperation is often more profitable anyway.
Anyway, here are some of the questions I'm wrestling with, anyone care to weigh in?
What makes the best quality castings?? Anyone can make castings, but to go commercial you need good quality and consisitency in volume.
What's the best ratio of worms to bedding/time to produce them?
How to best market the product once it's produced? Worm tea? In small bags, large bags? Via direct to home channels, retail or at wholesale to retailers?
Who's haveing success/problems in these areas?
My research and experience tells me that knowing a lot about worms is important, but knowing how to develope a market and run a business is much more important, if you want to succeed commercially.
In my former business I was involved in a forum similiar to this, where people shared ideas and things they had learned, and we all benefited, meaning we all made more money. I hope to find others here who feel the same.
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redhen
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 684
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/02/10 13:16dreadpiratk..Take a look at a thread in "General Earthworm Discussions" on page 2, I think. Look at the post about "can you support yourself with worm biz?". I don't think there is a trade secret, other than to do research into your area's market and plan on it taking way more time than you imagined. I have sold "vermicompost" but have not tried to package "castings", as I believe I would have to have them tested for quality/content and that is expensive. I do not understand how anyone can bottle, (sealed airtight), compost tea and plan on selling it a day later. Makes no good sense to me. I do brew tea, starting on Wednesday, for orders to be picked up on Saturday and used that weekend.Susan Quinby-Honer redhen@nc.rr.com Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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dreadpiratk
User A Fertile Cocoon
Posts: 8
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/02/10 15:33Thanks for pointing out that thread, hadn't noticed it before. I was really looking for folks working on a slightly larger scale than that.
Penn State University Labs will do an in-depth soil analysis for you for $50, giving you all the basic info you would need to market your castings. I'll send you the address if you want.
We do not sell just 'castings' either, Too hard to guarantee the purity. We label it 'organic plant food' made with castings. Avoids difficulty. Either way customers love it. Sells very well off store shelves.
One of our retailers sells almost 1500 pounds a month for us. Another one, only 50 or so miles away, sells a fraction as much, but the clerks don't know (we've tried!) why customers would want castings over regular manure. That's one of the major obstacles we have to overcome.
I have the same questions about worm tea in bottles. Some people are selling it, but in an anaerobic (spell checker...) bottle, it would go bad. Worm tea kits may be a better idea.
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MaryKay
User A Hatchling Earthworm
Posts: 22
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/02/10 23:43Hi, I would like the address to Penn State UN. They do soil testing but are castings tested the same? Here in CA to sell castings I have to call them soil amendment not fertilizer. I was under the understanding that it is that way all over the states. USDA rules. If you advertise it as fertilizer then you have to submit a label etc for approval. You don't need to do that if sold as soil amendment. MaryKay Also I am a commercial grower but mostly for bait. I haven't tried the castings market yet. I have been trying to find where I can have my castings tested within my budget. MaryKay Sunny CAwww.wonderworms.com Organic recycling not only improves our soil but our lives as well.
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redhen
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 684
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/02/11 12:16One other reason not to have the castings tested, (for me), is I think each batch of castings would vary greatly as far as labeling. I opt for selling "vermicompost" as a very biologically active soil enhancer. I weigh it out and put it in gallon zip lock bags (with holes for air) and send it and some very happy gardeners on their waySusan Quinby-Honer redhen@nc.rr.com Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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MaryKay
User A Hatchling Earthworm
Posts: 22
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/02/11 22:16Hi, Redhen I like your idea of Vermicompost. I just wanted to have them tested for my own knowledge. Sometimes we get to technical with is really God's simple way of providing a simple product to return to the soil to grow better food, flowers, trees lawns. Have a good night, MaryKaywww.wonderworms.com Organic recycling not only improves our soil but our lives as well.
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jlance
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 114
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/02/12 10:44Hi Dread I would like that address for geting casting tested.heal the earth with worm farming. John Lance Indain Valley,virginia
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glowery
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 127
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/04/07 11:17Susan,
I just read your post about selling your composte and how you weigh it out and then put the composte in gallon zip lock bags. This of course raises questions for me,
How much do you put in each zip lock bag?(weight)
Why do the bags need air holes?
What do you use to put holes in the bags?
Is there any danger of the bag ripping where the holes are?
I learn so much everyday from visiting this site
GlendaGlenda
I always wanted to be somebody; I guess I should have been more specific.
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WormMainea
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 149
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/04/07 13:45Worm tea for sale commercially? I suppose, but don't you lose the benefits quickly? I always use mine next day & tell friends who I give it to do the same. I suppose that you'd still have some benefit, but I'd hate to miss out on adding all those little organisms.
I'd offer that it might be better to sell vermicompost by the pound and give instructions for how they can make their own worm tea. Coffee cans with holes in the lid are great for vermicompost. Packaging would certainly be a problem for the liquid tea.
I'd like to hear what others have learned, maybe I'm missing a marketing opportunity here...? WormMainea.com
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WormMainea
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 149
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/04/07 13:52This has me thinking... How much would you sell a half pound or so for? I don't think much less would be enough.
I'm thinking about vermicompost by the pound with instructions for making worm tea.
I currently give it away, but I'm very interested in trying this at my local hardware/garden store. I have a bunch of coffee cans collecting down cellar and I'm just in time for spring fever here in Maine.
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redhen
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 684
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/04/07 15:49 How much do you put in each zip lock bag?(weight) Why do the bags need air holes? What do you use to put holes in the bags? Is there any danger of the bag ripping where the holes are? I weigh out the vermicompost and sell it by the pound ($1.00 per lb.) I now have people come and bring an open bucket or storage container to take it home. It must have air as it is a living, biologically active material. If you did seal it airtight it would become a slimy stinky mess, (believe me, I know).
Worm tea for sale commercially? I suppose, but don't you lose the benefits quickly? I always use mine next day & tell friends who I give it to do the same. I suppose that you'd still have some benefit, but I'd hate to miss out on adding all those little organisms. I'd offer that it might be better to sell vermicompost by the pound and give instructions for how they can make their own worm tea.
I take orders from people for gallons of tea,($5.00 a gallon). I usually start it on Thursday afternoon and they pick it up on Saturday to be used within the next 8 hours. They come with 5 gallon paint buckets, kept open with no lid and are thrilled with the tea. Most of those who are buying the vermicompost and tea do not want to make their own but wish to garden organically. That's fine with me as I have the time and the compostSusan Quinby-Honer redhen@nc.rr.com Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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Coco Hill Anderson
User A Fertile Cocoon
Posts: 2
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/06/25 04:59Hi there everybody
I am new on this. I am planning on starting a commercial farm supplying Lumbricus Rubellus but can anyone tell me :
1. How large of an area/land do I need to start off on a small scale basis?
2. How many Worm Bins would I require in this xx area?
3. Where do I get the supply of this Lumbricus Rubellus 'eggs' or 'tiny worms'?
4. How long before I can harvest them for commercial sale, from tiny worms?
5. What is the 'standard' quantity sold, either packed or loose? I meant, in pounds or grams or kilos?
6. How much would they be sold for?
7. Does anyone here have a photo image of an actual Worm Farming site for me to look at? It will help me picture how a Worm Farm looks like.
When I have these answers, I can put in the $$$ value to invest in this business, and I am serious.
Anyone keen to help me out here - please write to me.
Thanks Coco Hill Anderson
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redhen
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 684
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/06/25 15:24Coco..Go to "Reading, Literature and Education" forum on this list. Check out the post I made for the "Manual on Vermiculture and Vermicomposting". It is a very complete manual with good information on the business and setting up.Susan Quinby-Honer redhen@nc.rr.com Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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Jerry
Visitor
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/06/25 22:48Good castings are made depending on your feedstock. The more diverse your feedstock, the better your castings are going to be. We use a lot of things to make compost to feed to the worms. Good castings should look and feel like damp coffee grounds and will never make clumps. We do not sell by weight because the weight can vary depending on moisture content. We sell everything by volume.
There are all kinds of markets, depending on whar area you would like to work in. Our primary market is wholesale. We ship the majority of our products in bulk. We use what is called super sacks for castings. We have two sizes, 1 yard and 2 yard sacks. We also bag castings in small bags. For our local area we have a retail store.We ship bulk to five states. Any further freight gets cost prohibitive.
Most all testing for the major industry is done by SFI and BBC labs. Most colleges can give you a good soil test, but can not give a complete analysis on all of the micro-organisms. That is what you need to know to know if you have a quality casting. Most castings are good, but some are a lot better than others.
Tea can be processed and stabilized in a bottle and is a good product. In my opinion it is never as good as fresh brewed tea. Our tea that we use and spray for customers can be kept for seven days without losing any effectiveness as long as it is kept aerated. We make up 2,000 gallons at a time.
There is a new tea center being opened in Houston this week.
Jerry
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Jerry
Visitor A Fertile Cocoon
Posts: 7
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/01 00:44Susan,
We do not package our castings in bags with air holes. We do not want it to completely dry out. We have kept it in a bag for over a year and had it retested with no loss in microbial count.
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WormMainea
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 149
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/01 07:52Jerry: You've kept it in a sealed bag for that long?WormMainea.com
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redhen
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 684
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/01 10:37Jerry..I am thinking that your castings are a different "animal" than mine. I think your castings are drier and a more "finished" commercial product. For my customers and my castings, I tell them to be sure to have it ventilated. I did store some by mistake a long while back and it became a stinky swampy mess. I have stored them, ventilated and they do get drier but not dried out.Susan Quinby-Honer redhen@nc.rr.com Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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VermiChester
Visitor
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/01 13:24I agree on the closed bags of vermicompost, but the key is moisture content. Mine pass through a 1/4" screen. Jerry, do you follow any blogs that are devoted to vermiculture. Would I be likely to encounter you, Dr. Clive A. Edwards, Bill Kreitzer, or any other greats there? My connection is weak. More later. Tom
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VermiChester
User A Hatchling Earthworm
Posts: 18
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/01 15:59My connection has improved. The VermiChester unit is a worm bin that holds 14 cu.ft. of material. Once fully operational it allows for a harvest of 2 cu.ft. per week. A series of VermiChester units can be gathered in an array depending on the size of the waste stream. VermiJuice drips continuously, maintaining the proper moisture content. The dissolved liquid, VermiJuice, is filtered into recycled 64-oz. plastic juice bottles with my label on them. They sell for $5 at the Farmers Markets. A foul smell can develop above the liquid in the bottle, but quickly disappears when uncapped and allowed to breathe for a few minutes. We recommend dilution up to 8 times for irrigation and foliar feeding. Tom
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Truckdriverx72
User A Hatchling Earthworm
Posts: 14
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/02 22:14Hi Tom- any info or website on this Vermichester unit you speak of? Thanks
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Jerry
Visitor
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/03 00:22No, we are not on any blogs. I do not know if Clive Edwards is on any or not, but I doubt it. Clive has done as much research as anyone.
We screen our castings through a 1/8 inch screen. Our screeners have two sizes of screens. The first screen is 1/8 to let the castings fall through, the second is 1/4 which lets the babies and eggs fall through along with undigested feed stock. We put all of this back in the bin. The worms fall out the end of the screener and of course they all go back in the bin.
Susan, I am sure ours are run drier than most. When we harvest, our castings are the consistancy of damp coffee grounds, except they are black.
We never have any leachate run of of our bins at all.
There are some pictures on our www.compostsolutions.com website that show some of our operation Jerry
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VermiChester
User A Hatchling Earthworm
Posts: 18
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/03 10:05Someday I hope to have a beautiful website with lots of pretty pictures and links to blogs. The current site is embarrassingly primitive, www.vermichester.com Tom
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WormMainea
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 149
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/04 10:31Site looks good to me Tom. All the info you need to know is there along with contact info to ask follow up questions. WormMainea.com
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VermiChester
User A Hatchling Earthworm
Posts: 18
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/05 16:26Thanks The VermiChester system is a "medium-sized" system for the serious vermiculturist who needs more than a tub and less than a windrow. I didn't see anything that met this need so I developed one. Guess what the typical response has been? "Looks like a lot of work!" Of course, this has been from folks who never fed 350 hogs twice a day. My response has been "The better to charge you a lot for my VermiCompost, my dear". Tom
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VermiChester
User A Hatchling Earthworm
Posts: 18
Re:How many people here are in business? - 2006/07/06 13:57This is great info! Thanks!
I had been using the smallest mesh available from the lumberyard, 1/4". I made a special trip to the local lawn & garden store who are the only local source of 1/8" screen. The difference is amazing! I remove the biggest chunks first with a 1/2" screen (because I use a big variety of organic waste). After the 1/8" screening, the rest is going into "breeding farms". Running it through a 1/4" screen didn't make enough difference. I'm still not separating cocoons to the extent that I am happy. Perhaps Ef cocoons are small.
Are you the builder of Worm Gins? Do you have a huge one in S.Korea?
Tom
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