Grubco

What Grubco does

Grubco is a privately held direct-to-consumer e-commerce business specializing in live feeder insects and worms sold primarily as pet food for reptiles, amphibians, birds, and small animals, as well as fishing bait. The company is headquartered in the Minneapolis metropolitan area of Minnesota (despite a Fairfield listing) and operates as a division of The Bug Company. Its product portfolio spans eleven distinct live insect SKUs across multiple species, including mealworms, Mighty Mealys (a 50+ year trademark product), waxworms, superworms, crickets, hornworms, red worms, nightcrawlers, and flightless fruit flies, along with supplementary products like wheat bran and cricket chow.

The company's core technology centers on live insect husbandry and nutritional analysis. Grubco publishes independent laboratory nutritional breakdowns for all products covering moisture, fat, protein, fiber, ash, calcium, phosphorus, and calcium-to-phosphorus ratios, a differentiator the company claims competitors have not matched. Operations rely on a same-day shipping model with all orders dispatched via UPS Next Day Air at a flat $19.95 rate, enabling nationwide delivery of perishable live products that local pet stores cannot reliably provide.

Grubco generates revenue entirely through one-time transaction-based sales of live insects and related supplies via its website, grubco.com. Pricing follows a unit-count model with tiered quantity discounts, and the business serves a fragmented customer base spanning pet owners, reptile breeders, wildlife rehabilitators, zoos, universities, and recreational fishermen. The company has operated for over 50 years and claims industry leadership, with its husbandry methods described as widely copied by competitors.

Name

Grubco

Legal name

Grubco, Inc.

Website

https://grubco.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grubco is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business that sells live feeder insects (mealworms, crickets, hornworms, etc.) for reptile, amphibian, and bird pet food, plus fishing bait, shipping nationwide via UPS Next Day Air.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Feeder Insects & Fishing Bait

NAICS

All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)

akta.pro primary industry

Insect & Live Feed (Crickets, Mealworms, Feeder Roaches) (AFADAFAM)

Keywords

• Live feeder insects
• Reptile pet food
• Fishing bait worms
• Cricket feeders
• Insect husbandry

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Live Insect Sales: Grubco generates revenue through direct sales of live insects including mealworms, crickets, waxworms, superworms, hornworms, red worms, nightcrawlers, and flightless fruit flies. Also sells related products like wheat bran and cricket chow. All sales are one-time transaction-based with unit pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Grubco operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business that sells live feeder insects and worms—including mealworms, crickets, waxworms, superworms, hornworms, red worms, nightcrawlers, and flightless fruit flies—as nutritious food for reptiles, amphibians, birds, and small animals, and as live fishing bait. The company also sells supplemental products such as wheat bran and cricket chow. Orders are shipped same-day via UPS Next Day Air at a flat $19.95 rate.

Product overview

Grubco is an e-commerce business specializing in live insects and worms sold as pet food for birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small animals, as well as fishing bait. The company operates exclusively through its website (grubco.com) with a flat-rate next-day shipping model via UPS/FedEx. The product portfolio consists of eleven distinct live insect products across multiple species and life stages: Mealworms and Mighty Mealys (Tenebrio Molitor larvae at different sizes), Waxworms and Superworms (distinct larval species), Crickets (Acheta Domestica), Hornworms, Red Worms, Nightcrawlers, and Flightless Fruit Flies. Add-on products include Wheat Bran and Cricket Chow as food/bedding supplements. Products are priced per count (individual insects) or per cup/container, with most sold in multiple quantity tiers from small quantities to bulk orders of 1,000-5,000 count. The company publishes independent lab nutritional analysis for all products and offers a live delivery guarantee with 24-hour reporting requirement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mealworms Live mealworm larvae (Tenebrio Molitor) sold in counts from 50 to 5,000, medium size (1/2\" to 3/4\"), approximately 20% protein; used as nutritious food for birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small animals; can be refrigerated for several months.
• Mighty Mealys Oversized mealworms (Tenebrio Molitor) twice as large as standard mealworms; a Grubco trademark product for over fifty years, preferred by zoos, universities, sugar gliders, and trout fishermen.
• Waxworms Creamy white larvae of Galleria Mellonella, about 3/4\" long, rich in protein, moisture, and fat; used by zoos, reptile enthusiasts, bird breeders, and as bait for panfish, perch, bass, and catfish; requires 55-65 degree storage.
• Superworms Zophobas Morio beetle larvae, 1.5\" to 2\" long, larger than mealworms; fast-moving and somewhat aggressive, suitable for reptiles with predatory instincts; long shelf life at room temperature with fresh feed.
• Crickets Live house crickets (Acheta Domestica) sold in 500 or 1,000 count containers in four sizes (1/4\", 3/8\", 1/2\", 3/4\"); generous over-count per container; used by reptile breeders, hobbyists, and fishermen; requires room temperature storage at 70 degrees.
• Hornworms Manduca Sexta larvae with high calcium, low fat, low chitin, and extremely soft exoskeletons for easy digestion; available in 12 count (3/4\" to 1\") and 25 count (1/2\") cups; can grow to 3\"-4\" within 2-3 weeks at 75-85 degrees F.
• Red Worms Eisenia Fetida earthworms (also called red wigglers, trout worms, or tiger worms), 2-3 inches long; used primarily for fishing bait and composting; 3-month shelf life in refrigerator; suitable for panfish, catfish, trout, bluegill, crappie, and perch.
• Nightcrawlers Live earthworms sold in 12 count cups, used primarily as fishing bait.
• Flightless Fruit Flies Flightless fruit flies sold per culture at $6.29; used primarily for feeding small reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.
• Cricket Chow Specially formulated food for crickets in 0.75 lb containers; designed to enhance the nutritional value that is then passed on to animals that consume the crickets.
• Wheat Bran 0.75 lb container of wheat bran used as bedding and food for mealworms and other insects during storage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mealworms are nearly 20% protein
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Bug CompanycoreOthersGrubco is now a division of The Bug Company. The charge for orders will come from The Bug Company, not Grubco, on customer credit card statements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Bassett's Cricket Ranch: Long-running US cricket and live-feeder farm supplying pet stores, breeders, and hobbyists. Directly comparable to Grubco on feeder insect range and live-shipping logistics.
• Timberline Live Pet Foods: Producer and shipper of live crickets, mealworms, and other feeder insects with next-day delivery to pet stores and consumers. Comparable live-feeder focus, though with stronger wholesale distribution alongside DTC.
• Fluker Farms: One of the largest US producers of live crickets, mealworms, and other feeder insects for the reptile, amphibian, and wild-bird markets. Closest direct competitor to Grubco in product mix, customer base, and DTC live-shipping model.
• Top Hat Cricket Farm: US cricket farm producing feeder crickets for reptile keepers and pet retailers. Direct competitor to Grubco's cricket line with overlapping buyer segments.
• Mulberry Farms: Silkworm and specialty live-feeder producer serving reptile and bird keepers. Overlaps with Grubco on premium specialty feeder SKUs and DTC live-shipping.
• Rainbow Mealworms: Specialty mealworm producer and live-feeder supplier serving reptile keepers, bird owners, and bait customers. Directly comparable to Grubco on mealworm SKUs and DTC fulfillment.
• The Critter Depot: Online live-feeder insect and reptile-supply retailer shipping crickets, dubia roaches, mealworms, and hornworms. Comparable DTC live-shipping model and customer overlap with Grubco.
• Josh's Frogs: Online retailer specializing in feeder insects (crickets, fruit flies, roaches) and supplies for amphibian and reptile hobbyists. Closely comparable DTC model and customer overlap with Grubco's reptile/amphibian segment.

Broad incumbents

• Chewy: Leading US online pet retailer expanding into live feeder insects and reptile supplies. Comparable online-DTC fulfillment capability with a far broader catalog and customer base than Grubco.
• PetSmart: Largest US specialty pet retailer carrying reptile supplies and select live feeder SKUs in stores and online. Adjacent competitor on live-feeder inventory but competes through a much broader pet-food and supplies portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grubco