{"id":109,"date":"2026-11-05T23:52:37","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T23:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/?page_id=109"},"modified":"2026-11-05T23:52:37","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T23:52:37","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/index.php\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 36pt; color: #ff6600; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Worm Farming Education for All Ages<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"group\/conversation-turn relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\">\n<div class=\"flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-grow flex-col max-w-full\">\n<div class=\"min-h-[20px] text-message flex flex-col items-start whitespace-pre-wrap break-words [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5 juice:w-full juice:items-end overflow-x-auto gap-2\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"93425138-2fd0-420c-ba1d-c3d98e555647\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 juice:empty:hidden juice:first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\">\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt; color: #008000;\">For over a decade, Laica Worms has been bringing the exciting world of worm farming, composting, and sustainability to children, adults, schools, and community organizations across Florida! From hands-on experiences with Red Wiggler Worms at De La Fontaine Montessori Trilingual School, Plato Academy, LCC Day School, John Hopkins Middle School, and Sail Future Academy, to large-scale university and community garden projects with Eckerd College Community Farm and USF partnerships, Laica Worms has proudly inspired hundreds of students and families to turn food waste into nutrient-rich worm castings and healthier gardens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt; color: #008000;\">Whether teaching kindergarteners, gifted students, middle schoolers, university groups, or adults at The Garden Club of St. Petersburg, Laica Worms combines science, gardening, and lots of wiggly fun to make sustainability unforgettable. From recycled bathtubs filled with thousands of composting worms to creative decomposition experiments in recycled jars, every workshop encourages people to grow food, reduce waste, and fall in love with the magic of worms!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-123 aligncenter\" style=\"text-align: center;\" src=\"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/PictureSeLuz-MyveggieGarden-1024x819-1-300x240.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/PictureSeLuz-MyveggieGarden-1024x819-1-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/PictureSeLuz-MyveggieGarden-1024x819-1-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/PictureSeLuz-MyveggieGarden-1024x819-1.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/LaicaWorms\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/logowik.com\/content\/uploads\/images\/patreon-new-icon5615.logowik.com.webp\" alt=\"Patreon New Icon Logo PNG vector in SVG, PDF, AI, CDR format\" width=\"314\" height=\"236\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 24pt;\"><em><strong>Call or Text: <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #008000; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 24pt;\"><em><strong>727-902-0797 <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; color: #ff6600; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><em><strong>Email: <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Laicaworms@gmail.co<\/strong><strong>m<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600; font-size: 36pt; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Our Story<\/span><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">W<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">elcome to the exciting world of Laica Worms &amp; Vermicast, founded by Ana Maria Quintero over a decade ago with a mission to transform food waste into nutrient-rich gold using Composting Red Wiggler Worms! A graduate of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP) with a degree in Geography focused on Conservation of Society and the Environment and a minor in Environmental Policy, Ana Maria combined her passion for sustainability, leadership, and education to create a movement rooted in environmental change.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #008000;\">While serving in leadership roles with organizations including the Garden Club, The Student Environmental Awareness Society (SEAS), Phi Kappa Phi, and Omicron Delta Kappa, Ana Maria discovered the incredible power of worm farming through caring for the university\u2019s worm farm. Her Honors Program thesis, \u201cThe Politics of Organic Food Consumption, Recycling, and Solar Power Use,\u201d highlighted the urgent need for better food waste management and inspired her to launch Laica Worms &amp; Vermicast LLC in 2016. Today, Laica Worms is turning food scraps into thriving gardens, inspiring future environmental leaders, and proving that a tiny worm can make a giant difference for our planet!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; color: #ff6600;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #ff6600;\" href=\"https:\/\/thegabber.com\/grateful-for-worms-student-vermiculture-in-st-petersburg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Gabber Newspaper<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; color: #ff6600; font-size: 18pt;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #ff6600;\" href=\"https:\/\/stpetecatalyst.com\/influencers\/ana-maria-quintero\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">St. Pete Catalyst<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt; color: #ff6600;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #ff6600;\" href=\"https:\/\/canvasrebel.com\/meet-ana-maria-quintero\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canvas Rebel<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600; font-size: 18pt; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stpeteha.org\/news-view?id=338&amp;fbclid=IwAR0nDHJUmltTSlCI4Q5WjPK7HdB9MRfbR7GlhzhsQEhuq9T-RJSdhJalRq8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>St. Pete Housing Authority<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; color: #ff6600; font-size: 18pt;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #ff6600;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/MReC7W7obh4?si=LsmYgYsgre3A-0t3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">St. Pete Timebank<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600; font-size: 18pt; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600;\" href=\"https:\/\/digitalcommons.usf.edu\/honorstheses\/238\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Digital Commons University of South Florida\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600; font-size: 18pt; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600;\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.flvc.org\/flgeog\/article\/view\/118175\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Florida Geographer Journal<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/LaicaWorms\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/logowik.com\/content\/uploads\/images\/patreon-new-icon5615.logowik.com.webp\" alt=\"Patreon New Icon Logo PNG vector in SVG, PDF, AI, CDR format\" width=\"314\" height=\"236\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-124 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/youtube3-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"219\" height=\"230\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LaicaWorms?mibextid=LQQJ4d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-440 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.laicaworms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/facebook-icon-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"44\" height=\"44\" \/><\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/laicawormss?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-443 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.laicaworms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/instagram-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/anamariaquinterogomez\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-441 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.laicaworms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/LinkedIn-icon-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"43\" height=\"43\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@laicawormss?_t=8ibIiRzM3x8&amp;_r=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-454 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.laicaworms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/tiktok-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"52\" height=\"52\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Worm Farming Education for All Ages For over a decade, Laica Worms has been bringing the exciting world of worm farming, composting, and sustainability to children, adults, schools, and community organizations across Florida! From hands-on experiences with Red Wiggler Worms at De La Fontaine Montessori Trilingual School, Plato Academy, LCC Day School, John Hopkins Middle [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-109","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","wpbf-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125,"href":"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/109\/revisions\/125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/laicaworms.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}