Eden Worms & Compost

Callum Taylor
www.edenwormsandcompost.com

A farming family has taken on 80,000 new members of staff to produce natural and environmentally friendly fertiliser. The Taylor family at Eden Lodge, Hamsterley, have diversified into worm farming and composting to provide a range of products for homes and businesses.

By breeding worms, they produce worm castings – a natural and nutrient-rich fertiliser. “It just goes through them,” said Paul Taylor. “The worms take out the impurities, so what comes out is 96 to 98 per cent pure, and very rich in nutrients.”

Mr Taylor’s sons Callum and Jordan take care of the day-to-day running of Eden Worms and Compost. Their dendrobaena worms live and breed in ‘multiplication bins’, turning horse manure into the richest, chemical-free plant food.

During digestion, the worms add bacteria, enzymes, and microbes that promote plant growth. “People have come back to us and said the castings have been tremendous – as pure as you can get,” said Mr Taylor. Although speedier than leaving compost to rot, creating castings can be a waiting game. It can take a year to produce a bin full of the fertiliser.

“It is certainly not a get rich quick scheme,” joked Mr Taylor, a retired police chief superintendant. “You have to be patient.” But the worms from Hamsterley have already attracted international attention, with a Paris-based farmer placing an order for six kilos of to be sent over the channel.

The Taylors, already working with Hamsterley Primary School to set up a worm trench, hope to develop the educational side of the business. And as well as castings, they produce a range of (wormless) composts, with the potential to produce 1,000 bags a day. They also provide ground maintenance services, and sell the worms for fishing.

“You have got to be creative,” said Mr Taylor. “You can’t afford to throw away any opportunities.” Callum and Jordan came up with the idea to diversify Eden Lodge after reading about worm farming in the Farmers’ Guardian.

They took the idea to the Enterprise Agency for Wear Valley and Teesdale, who offered advice and support. “They have been superb and very, very helpful,” said Mr Taylor.

Additional support was also provided by Business Link and the North East England Investment Centre. With their staff of 80,000, the Taylors now have high hopes that the business will really grow over the next year.

“There a number of different avenues for us and the interest is there,” said Mr Taylor. “We produce good quality stuff and we are confident the business will take off.” For more information about Eden Worms and Compost, call 01388 488477 or visit www.edenwormsandcompost.com.

Source: Teesdale Mercury