Nancy Warner’s vermiculture business was born out of a need to eliminate the flies attracted by her angora rabbit.
Originally a textile artist, Warner constructed works of art from the rabbit’s fur, but found the upkeep problematic.
“I read I could buy worms to get rid of the rabbit manure, which would get rid of the flies, and that’s what happened,” she said.
Warner began to use the worms, along with their castings, in her garden and saw improvement almost instantly.
But it wasn’t until after reconnecting with a childhood friend at the Providence Flower Show, and gifting her a bucket of worms for her garden, that Warner decided to make money off the investment.
The pair launched The Worm Ladies of Charlestown Inc. in 2009. When they visited the annual Providence Flower Show that year they left their business cards at the head gardener’s table hoping to drum up a little bit of business. Not long after the exhibition, they were profiled by a local journalist and business boomed.
“We had waiting lists” of people interested in buying worms, said Warner.
Worm Ladies of Charlestown sells red wiggler worms, which she cultivates out of her home and, since August, a second location with heated bins that allow for cultivation year-round.
Warner said she sells thousands of pounds of worms every year. According to the company’s website, the worms sell for $28 per pound, which contains 1,000 worms.
“Each year I do more, and for the past several years I’ve had a hard time keeping up” with orders, said the 76-year-old Warner.
Seventy percent of Warner’s customers are individuals who purchase the worms for use in their residential gardens. Their existence helps to “eliminate what goes in the landfill [and] worm castings are the best soil enhancer you can use – it’s all natural,” said Warner.
She hopes to expand to schools in the future: “One of our goals is to get school cafeterias involved, so all the school food waste could be turned into worm farms.”
In addition, Warner recently sold 6 pounds of worms to an environmental testing operation, which she said will “use the worms to test the ground for heavy metals.”
Warner is proud of what she has accomplished with the business, but joked: “It was a hobby that got out of hand.”
In 2015, Warner established a co-op in which she sells worms to customers who use them in their gardens, but who also cultivate more worms and collect their castings to sell themselves.
For this work, she was named one of two Rhode Island recipients of SCORE’s American Small Business Championship for her mentoring of fellow small businesses.
Warner said Bill Welsh, R.I. SCORE vice president of member services, was the closest thing to a mentor she had while growing the business.
Looking forward, Warner said she wants to get to the point “where I don’t have to worry where my next pound of worms is coming from.
“We’re not making a lot of money yet, but [vermiculture] has the potential to make a lot of money,” she said.
OWNER: Nancy Warner
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Vermiculture sales
LOCATION: 251 Exeter Road, North Kingstown; 161 East Beach Road, Charlestown
EMPLOYEES: One (plus contractors)
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2009
ANNUAL SALES: $21,357