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.   

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“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  

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