At the tender age of two, John started eating dirt and soon developed a fondness for it. Being the last of 8 kids, with never enough food to go around and constantly being hungry, eating dirt became a necessary way of life. By the age of 10, he had developed the skills to discern the difference between simple dirt and truly living soils, preferring fungally-dominated over bacterial-dominated soil. 

While pursuing his Bachelor of Science degree in Geology, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was not alone and was actively encouraged by his professors to taste the soil and rock samples, which he did with gusto, soon learning to identify over 2,000 minerals by taste alone. 

Years later, John happened to stumble on a Master Composting class, promptly signed up and to no one’s surprise, graduated Magna Cum Laude. 

With the assistance of a small group of highly qualified and world-renowned advisers, he founded the nonprofit weCompost2 to “Promote on-site composting and create living, vibrant communities in and above the soil” and started Hart’s Worm Farm Cooperative, where an army of dedicated and passionate members strive to produce nothing less than the world’s best compost and vermicompost.