Rainbow Mealworms, Inc
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc is a privately held Compton, California insect farm and e-commerce retailer that breeds and ships live and dried feeder insects, reptile nutrition products, and vivarium clean-up crew organisms to hobbyist reptile, amphibian, and wild-bird keepers across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1956
- HeadquartersCompton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Rainbow Mealworms, Inc does
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc is a privately held, family-operated insect farm and e-commerce retailer headquartered at 126 E Spruce St, Compton, California. The company cultivates and ships live feeder insects — mealworms (regular and giant), superworms, crickets, dubia roaches, hornworms, waxworms, butterworms, flightless fruit flies, isopods, and springtails — alongside dried mealworms for wild bird feeding and a portfolio of "cleaner crew" insects (buffalo beetles, dermestid beetle larvae) used in bioactive vivarium maintenance. Its technology is rooted in biological cultivation rather than software: proprietary calcium-bearing clay media for springtail culture and colony-cleaning insect systems that manage decay, mold, and mites without competing with primary feeder colonies for resources. The company also resells complementary reptile-nutrition brands including Repashy gel premixes, Pangea gecko diets, Nature Zone cricket/roach foods, and PangeaCal calcium supplements, plus accessories such as mealworm sifters, heat packs, and bee pollen.
The business operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model through a BigCommerce storefront at rainbowmealworms.net, with nationwide shipping powered by a core partnership with Air Cargo Southwest for temperature-controlled delivery of live inventory. Customers can also pick up orders at the Compton retail location or arrange hold-for-pickup at UPS Access Points and post offices. A separate wholesale channel serves pet stores, reptile breeders, and other commercial bulk buyers. Pricing is per-unit, ranging from roughly $2 (heat packs) to $20 (dried mealworms, larger live-insect counts) and up to ~$65 for the Pangea "Test the Rainbow" sampler, with volume discounts on larger live-insect counts. A loyalty rewards program pays customers in points for written reviews.
The customer base is a long tail of individual hobbyists rather than enterprise accounts: primary segment is reptile and amphibian keepers (geckos, bearded dragons, chameleons, monitors, dart frogs, salamanders), with secondary segments in wild bird feeding, hummingbird feeding, and bioactive vivarium keepers. The company shows no parent ownership, no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, and no subsidiaries. The founder is Fred Rhyme. Operations are constrained to a single Compton facility and the business is currently sold out of medium and large mealworms due to elevated carrot and grain feed costs, which is both a near-term growth cap and an indicator that production capacity has not been industrialized.
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rainbow Mealworms, Inc
- Legal name
- Rainbow Mealworms, Inc
- Website
- https://rainbowmealworms.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1956
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Rainbow Mealworms, Inc is a privately held Compton, California insect farm and e-commerce retailer that breeds and ships live and dried feeder insects, reptile nutrition products, and vivarium clean-up crew organisms to hobbyist reptile, amphibian, and wild-bird keepers across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pet Food and Feeder Insects
- NAICS
- Aquaculture (11251), Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing (311111)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Insect & Live Feed (Crickets, Mealworms, Feeder Roaches) (AFADAFAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Reptile & Amphibian Food (CRADAFAM)
Keywords
Where Rainbow Mealworms, Inc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Compton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Live Insect Sales: One-time and repeat purchases of live feeder insects including mealworms, superworms, crickets, roaches, waxworms, hornworms, and specialty insects sold in various quantities and sizes.
- Reptile Nutrition Products: Sales of branded reptile food products including Repashy gel premixes, Pangea gecko diets, and Nature Zone feeder insect foods. These are complementary products to the live insect business.
- Wholesale/Bulk Orders: Wholesale inquiries section suggests B2B sales to pet stores, reptile breeders, and other commercial buyers purchasing larger quantities.
- Accessories and Supplies: Sales of insect food, bedding, heat packs, calcium supplements, feeding tongs, and other accessories for insect keeping and reptile care.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Live Insect Products - Various Sizes |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Repashy Gel Premix Products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pangea Gecko Diet Products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sampler Packs |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Accessories and Supplements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rainbow Mealworms breeds, cultivates, and ships live feeder insects — including mealworms, crickets, roaches, superworms, hornworms, waxworms, and specialty species — directly to reptile, amphibian, and bird keepers. The company also distributes complementary branded nutrition products (Repashy gel premixes, Pangea gecko diets, Nature Zone insect foods) and accessories for feeder insect and reptile care.
Product overview
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc operates as an e-commerce retailer specializing in live and dried feeder insects for reptiles, amphibians, and birds, along with complementary reptile nutrition and care products. The company's core product line centers on live feeder insects including mealworms (regular and giant varieties), superworms, crickets of various ages/sizes, dubia roaches, hornworms, waxworms, butterworms, flightless fruit flies, isopods, springtails, and cleaner crew insects (buffalo beetles, dermestid beetle larvae). They also offer dried mealworms for wild bird feeding. The business resells and distributes branded reptile nutrition products including Repashy gel premixes (Crested Gecko MRP, Grubs N Fruit, SuperPig, Calcium Plus variants, SuperLoad, SuperVeggie, Superhorn, Superfly, Bug Burger, Beardie Buffet, Meat Pie, Veggie Burger, Morning Wood, various Pie formulas, and seasonal blends like Fig Frenzy, Pumpkin Pie, Pineapple Express, and Cherry Bomb) and Pangea gecko diets (Watermelon, Papaya, Apricot, Insects, Fig & Insects, Growth & Breeding Formula, Fruit Mix Treat, and Test the Rainbow Sample Pack). Nature Zone branded products (Total Bites Cricket & Feeder Insect Food, Bites for Roaches + Gutload) and PangeaCal calcium supplements are also carried. Accessories include calcium bearing clay powder for springtail cultures, plastic mealworm sifters, and Rep-Cal cricket shakers. Combo packs and sampler packs bundle insects with nutrition products for crested gecko owners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Feeder Insects Primary offering of live feeder insects for reptile, amphibian, and bird keepers, sold in various quantities and sizes from the company website.
- Dried Mealworms Dried mealworms for backyard bird feeding and reptile nutrition supplementation.
- Phoenix Worms Black soldier fly larvae sold as a calcium-rich feeder insect for reptiles and amphibians.
- Springtail Cultures Live springtail cultures in clay or charcoal media used for feeding dart frogs, small amphibians, and managing vivarium cleanup.
- Buffalo Beetles Lesser mealworm beetles used as natural cleanup crew to consume decaying organic material, mold, and fungi in feeder insect colonies.
- Dermestid Beetle Larvae Dermestid larvae sold for natural cleaning of insect colonies, consuming dead insects, molted skins, and decaying matter.
- Flightless Fruit Flies Flightless fruit fly cultures sold as feeder insects for small amphibians, mantids, and other small insectivores.
- Non-Food Live Insects Live invertebrates sold as pets rather than feeders, including jumping spiders and mantis species.
- Repashy Gel Premixes Distributed line of Repashy gel premixes and supplements for geckos, bearded dragons, insectivorous reptiles, and feeder insects.
- Pangea Gecko Diets Distributed Pangea-branded complete gecko diets and calcium supplements for crested geckos and other fruit-eating gecko species.
- Nature Zone Feeder Insect Foods Distributed Nature Zone branded foods for crickets, roaches, and feeder insects used during shipping and gut-loading.
- Crested Gecko Sampler Packs Combo bundles that pair live feeder insects with Repashy/Pangea meal replacement powders for new crested gecko owners.
- Calcium Bearing Clay Powder Clay media used for cultivating springtail cultures, mixed with water to create a growing substrate.
- Insect Care Accessories Insect care accessories including plastic mealworm sifters, cricket shakers for dusting insects with supplements, bee pollen granules for gut-loading, and heat packs for temperature-sensitive shipping.
Companies that use Rainbow Mealworms, Inc
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Air Cargo SouthwestcoreAir Cargo Southwest provides temperature-controlled shipping services critical for transporting live insects. This partnership enables the company to fulfill orders during extreme weather conditions when standard shipping methods would risk losing live inventory. The partnership is highlighted on their shipping information pages.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- PetSmart: Largest U.S. specialty pet retailer carrying feeder insects (crickets, mealworms), reptile supplies, and wild bird food across hundreds of stores and online. Represents a broad incumbent that competes with Rainbow Mealworms on selection, convenience, and price.
- Petco: Major U.S. pet retailer with live feeder insect programs and reptile product assortments in stores and online. Competes broadly with Rainbow Mealworms in the feeder insect and reptile supplies category as part of a wider pet portfolio.
Direct peers
- Fluker Farms: Long-standing Louisiana-based producer and retailer of live feeder insects (crickets, mealworms, roaches) and reptile care products. Directly competes with Rainbow Mealworms across the core live feeder insect category and complementary reptile nutrition/supplies.
- Top Hat Cricket Farm: Georgia-based feeder cricket farm shipping live crickets nationally. Directly competes with Rainbow Mealworms in the live cricket and feeder insect category with similar e-commerce and shipping logistics.
- Bassett's Cricket Ranch: Mississippi-based feeder cricket and insect producer serving hobbyists and wholesale buyers. Comparable to Rainbow Mealworms in live feeder insect farming, distribution model, and target customer segments.
- Timberline Live Pet Foods: Marion, VA-based live pet foods producer offering feeder insects, aquatic feeders, and reptile supplies. Directly comparable to Rainbow Mealworms in the live feeder category with overlapping customer base of reptile and amphibian keepers.
- Premium Crickets: Online retailer and producer of feeder crickets and insects for reptile and amphibian keepers. Comparable DTC model and product offering to Rainbow Mealworms, with national shipping and similar customer base.
- Ghann's Cricket Farm: One of the largest U.S. producers of live crickets and feeder insects, founded in Augusta, GA. Competes with Rainbow Mealworms on bulk feeder insect supply to both retail hobbyists and wholesale commercial buyers.
Others
- Repashy Ventures: Manufacturer of the Repashy branded gel premixes, MRPs, and supplements that Rainbow Mealworms distributes. As the upstream brand partner and a producer of competing reptile nutrition products, it is thematically related and partially competitive in reptile nutrition.
Emerging players
- Josh's Frogs: Michigan-based specialty retailer focused on dart frogs and amphibians, carrying a broad assortment of feeder insects (fruit flies, springtails, isopods) and reptile/amphibian supplies. Competes with Rainbow Mealworms in the amphibian-keeper feeder and clean-up crew niches.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc social profiles
Digital presenceRainbow Mealworms, Inc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rainbow Mealworms, Inc
What does Rainbow Mealworms, Inc do?
Rainbow Mealworms breeds, cultivates, and ships live feeder insects — including mealworms, crickets, roaches, superworms, hornworms, waxworms, and specialty species — directly to reptile, amphibian, and bird keepers. The company also distributes complementary branded nutrition products (Repashy gel premixes, Pangea gecko diets, Nature Zone insect foods) and accessories for feeder insect and reptile care.
Is Rainbow Mealworms, Inc a public or private company?
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Rainbow Mealworms, Inc founded?
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc was founded in 1956. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rainbow Mealworms, Inc based?
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc is headquartered in Compton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Rainbow Mealworms, Inc make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Live Insect Sales are the primary driver. The others are reptile Nutrition Products, wholesale/Bulk Orders and accessories and Supplies.
Who are Rainbow Mealworms, Inc's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are PetSmart and Petco. Direct peers are Fluker Farms, Top Hat Cricket Farm, Bassett's Cricket Ranch, Timberline Live Pet Foods, Premium Crickets and Ghann's Cricket Farm. Repashy Ventures is listed as an others. Josh's Frogs is listed as an emerging player.
Does Rainbow Mealworms, Inc have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rainbow Mealworms, Inc.
What industry is Rainbow Mealworms, Inc in?
Rainbow Mealworms, Inc's product category is Pet Food and Feeder Insects. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFADAFAM, Insect & Live Feed (Crickets, Mealworms, Feeder Roaches), with a secondary code of CRADAFAM, Reptile & Amphibian Food. Its NAICS code is 11251 and its SIC code is 2090.