Venture Center helps Connor Freimuth dig into new business
Connor Freimuth of Chilton is proof you cannot always predict where your career is headed. Connor never expected to one day be a worm farmer. But here he is.
“I just knew I was passionate about working with worms and cultivating beneficial soils,” Connor explains.
Connor was working at his father’s masonry business when a random conversation introduced him to vermicomposting, more commonly known as worm composting. Connor and his father took it all in as their guest explained how worm castings create organic, nutrient-dense compost and how worm farming can be a lucrative business.
“During that conversation, my father turned to me and asked me what I thought,” Connor recounts. “I said, ‘Besides working for you Dad, I think I’m doing worms.’”
After five years of research, Connor started NEW Compost in 2021 in a garage on his father’s land. But with no business experience, Connor enrolled in E-Seed™ Express at FVTC’s Venture Center. The 10-week program helps early-stage entrepreneurs develop a business plan along with other vital components of running their own company.
“When I started, I was what you would call a good technician. I knew operations and how to create a product, but I did not know how to run a business,” Connor explains. “I had to learn marketing, social media, budgeting and managing cash flow. The E-Seed program was intense but taught me how to launch and run a business.”
Connor has created several products, but his flagship is a liquid plant probiotic and booster he markets to home gardeners. He hopes to one day work with larger agricultural growers and help them implement methods that lead to nutrient-dense and chemical-free fruits, vegetables and flowers.
“What I’m trying to do is rekindle a partnership with nature by utilizing one of its greatest engineers, which is the earthworm.”
Connor Freimuth / NEW Compost
