Hi Everyone. I’d like to thank all of you who have been so patient with my lack of new blog posts. I confess that tending to the tech side of this business is not my strongest attribute. That said, there have been things going on in the background here at WormCycle. To put it bluntly, I’ve been struggling with economic viability of trying to make a business out of selling worm castings. While it works really well at the “hobby” level, getting people to buy VC at a price point that makes economic sense is a completely different story. In short, it’s difficult. I was on the verge of calling it a day and scaling back to a point I would produce just enough for myself and a few loyal customers.
Yay Michigan!
As I was coming to grips with this, something remarkable happened. Michigan finally got its Marijuana licensing act together. Seemingly overnight I started getting calls from licensed growers wanting 50 – 100 yards at a time! Now I have the exact opposite problem. How do I supply this massive jump in demand? Well, that decision isn’t easy either.
The Problem
I am faced with the classic entrepreneurial quandry. How do I satisfy exploding demand if I don’t have the capacity, but how do I add capacity if I can’t service more customers? I know I have a superior product. (I have the lab testing results to prove it – call me and I’ll send them to you) Im not new to this, and I know what I’m doing. I know how to make a consistent, high quality soil amendment, and my current customers know this. The issue for me is risk tolerance. This isn’t a “Field of Dreams” proposition for me. (here’s a link for you young ‘uns) I can’t just spend gobs of money, build new capacity and they will come. I needed help.
Solution
Well that help came in the form of one Dan Lonowski of Michigan Soil Works. He’s the guy who makes my CFTs. I’m delighted to say that in partnership we are expanding the business. New things are coming to WormCycle. Starting with a new CFT, a 40′ line is ordered and will be installed mid June. A second 40′ line will be added late in the year. To accommodate all this, a facility build out is already started to include new electrical lines, insulation, machinery etc. Automation will be the key. This stuff is heavy. My back can’t take it anymore.
Patience
This build out will take time. Getting a worm bin ready to produce is at least a 6 month process. When it’s ready, however, I’ll no longer have to say “I can’t help you” to all the people who are calling me. I’ll be able to produce all year long, and the Class C license holders will have steady access to a superior ingredient for their water only soil mixes.
So, thanks again to all of you for your patience. Without my growing customer base, none of this would be possible. The demand for WormCycle is big and getting bigger. We look forward to hearing from you. Call us at (877) 734-4879. We will work with you to figure out your exact worm casting needs. Remember, our castings are made to order and always fresh.