About Us

Holistic Problem-Solving

Founders Sam Baker & Gabe Degalia created WriggleBrew to solve an issue called Red Tide, aka toxic algae blooms that occur in rivers, lakes, and oceans due to our overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

That issue sparked a bigger question: Can we make a fertilizer that includes everything a plant needs to grow better than a synthetic fertilizer, while improving soil health and preventing infestations?

Plants have very specific needs and right now people are buying 3 or more products just to meet them! (and many of those don't work)

Research, Testing Research

Inspired by a youtube video, Sam & Gabe took months raising worms, testing castings, researching microbes, growing (and killing) plants, testing existing products, and talking to farmers.

They realized that high quality worm castings couldn’t do it all- not in a way that could reach potentially billions of people. Different batches of worm castings all had different levels of bacterial activity, and some were not safe for humans to touch with their bare hands!

Then came a year of testing different sterilization techniques to selectively keep the good bacteria and get rid of the bad and finally, we found a way to put those good microbes into a stasis while in the bottle that awaken as soon as they hit soil. That means there are microbes in every drop of Growth & Rescue!

Worms Bacteria Fungi and...Lobsters?

Gabe, a chemist with a strong interest and knowledge of biology, leaned into the research surrounding the symbiotic relationships between plants, bacteria, fungi, and even beneficial insects. He learned how plants have an immune system, just like us, that fights off diseases and pests to keep the plant healthy.

Gabe had solved the issue of complete nutrition and optimal soil health with worm castings & microbes. But what about protecting plants against pests and disease? After Sam spoke with some local worm farmers about the problem, it clicked- chitin! Lobster & crab chitin doesn’t set off human allergies, but it does boost the immune system of plants really well! So far it's proved effective against thrips, fungus gnats, mealy bugs, spider mites, and more!


We are constantly running tests in our lab comparing various aspect of WriggleBrew to competing products, as well as experiments to further our work into recycling styrofoam using worms.

How it Started

One day, our future CEO Sam Baker went fishing with his grandfather at one of their favorite ponds, only to find it reeking and full of dead fish, poisoned by fertilizer runoff. The devastation stuck with him.

Sam brought the issue to his friend and research partner at UCF, Gabe DeGaglia. Together, they began researching eco-friendly fertilizers. Most were smelly, ineffective, or hard to use; so they set out to make something better.

After years of trial and error, they created WriggleBrew: Growth & Rescue! A clean, low-odor, organic fertilizer that’s safe for people, pets, and wildlife, and just as effective as chemical alternatives.

Today, Sam and Gabe run a family-and-friends business, working to protect the planet, one bottle at a time.

Founding Team (The Worm Leads)

  • Sam Baker

    Sam is WriggleBrew's founder and owner. Sam studied chemistry alongside Gabe at UCF (and later economics), where they developed the Growth & Rescue formula and started the business.

  • Gabriel DeGaglia

    Gabe is WriggleBrew's chief researcher and the original inventor of many of its components. Gabe studied biochemistry at UCF, and continues to work diligently on new innovations, as well as QA.

  • Italo Rangel

    Italo is the engineer behind most of WriggleBrew's production, bottling, bagging, boxing, labelling, and fulfillment. Thanks to his craftiness, WriggleBrew has been able to scale production efficiently and independently.

  • Colin Kruger

    Colin is the bookkeeper, accountant and logistician that keeps WriggleBrew operational. Thanks to his efforts, the lights stay on, the worms keep pooping, and the bills get paid!

  • Nan Moreno

    Nan is the heart of our visual presence online and in the store. The artist, web designer, social media manager and part-time customer service head who keeps WriggleBrew the brand that it is.

  • The Worms

    Our unstoppable army of all-consuming wriggling friends. The horde is ever-growing; there is no escape.