About the busines
Shropshire worm expert Luke Boxall has a long association with the growth hub – and it has helped pave the way for his new business venture.
Luke and wife Steph originally founded a company called Worm Soil to produce and sell bags of eco-friendly fertiliser produced by around 100,000 worms on their four-acre smallholding in Neenton, near Bridgnorth.
They received a huge amount of help from Shropshire Growth Hub business support specialists Emma Chapman and Anna Sadler at the time, so turned to the team again when they co-founded their new venture Soil Nurture.
Soil Nurture was formed by Luke and a group of fellow worm farmers who believe that natural fertiliser produced by worms – known as vermicast – can play a huge part in improving yields and profits for growers in a sustainable way.
The worms break down organic material and turn it into vermicast, which is then added to soil to fertilise and improve it without the need for large amounts of chemical products.
Vermicast includes a high volume of beneficial micro-organisms and research shows that it increases yield and improves plant health and nutrient uptake. It can also help plants to cope with stress caused by the climate, as well as pests and diseases.
How Shropshire Growth Hub helped
Luke said the support the couple have received from Shropshire Growth Hub has been vital to the success of the business.
“I have received so much support from Shropshire Growth Hub, everything from initial advice and guidance to set up the business, attendance at networking events, webinars and various workshops, as well as one-to-one business support, financial support and even vocal coaching.
“It is incredible that the team can provide such a breadth of support.
“Then there is the power of the introductions the hub can make into various different organisations, such as Sustaining Shropshire, Agri-EPI, and CREST in my sector alone. All the support I have received from those organisations came through Shropshire Growth Hub.”
The business received financial help through Shropshire Council’s ARG Economic Recovery Fund to buy composting equipment, and Luke completed an initial free business start-up course run by Bridgnorth-based Good2Great.
He has since benefited from many networking opportunities provided by the hub, as well as workshops, webinars and Good2Great’s weekly Friday Hub session which allows new business owners to meet and share experiences in an informal, friendly environment.
Luke also received 16 hours of one-to-one business support from UKSPF Sustaining Shropshire, which helped him plan the direction the business would take and gather the evidence needed to prove the quality of the product.
He also accessed an additional 12 hours of support through UKSPF Business Boost 360 funding which matched him with Emma Alston for voice training, and he enjoyed a podcast opportunity with Media Insiders.
With help from growth hub manager Emma Chapman, Luke was introduced to other specialist organisations which have helped the business succeed, such as the Meres & Mosses Business Environment Network, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and the Master Composters, as well as specialists at Harper Adams University’s Agri- EPI Centre and CREST, the Centre for Research into Environmental Sciences and Technology.
Impact
Luke said the business had developed so well only because of the support he had received through Shropshire Growth Hub.
Soil Nurture now markets a range of organic products, including various bio-composts, bio worm tea rich in beneficial microbes, bio carbon soil, which includes biochar, and bio worm extract, rich in beneficial microbes and humic acid.
“Without Shropshire Growth Hub, I would be in a very different position from where I am now. I would probably be trying to discover things that I didn’t need to discover because the support was there.
“I am probably years ahead of where I would have been if I hadn’t received that support.”
In recent months, Soil Nurture has announced a partnership with Mycolife, offering soil microbial analysis to empower farmers in optimising soil health.
Additionally, it has developed a new e-commerce platform which allows convenient access to our products, ensuring seamless delivery straight to the customer’s doorstep.
Future growth
Soil Nurture is looking to grow even more in the coming years – and Luke says the Shropshire Growth Hub will continue to be part of its journey.
Luke said: “The next project for Soil Nurture is to find a strategic partner, and this strategic partner will help us grow across the UK.
“Through Shropshire Growth Hub, I believe we will be able to get the support that we need.”
Emma Chapman said: “We are delighted to have been a part of Luke’s journey over recent years and see the way his company has grown. We look forward to working with him again in the future and helping in his search for a strategic partner to develop the business still further.”
Business Boost 360 is funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
The UKSPF is £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. It aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
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