Meet Spencer Doepel

We recently connected with Spencer Doepel and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Spencer, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I found my purpose through my hobby and love of reptiles.

I didn’t always have reptiles but grew fondly of them quickly. In early 2018 I got my first reptile. It was a Leopard Gecko and I named him Banana (I ended up getting a more yellow leopard gecko down the line so the name wasn’t the best choice).

After caring for him, watching him grow, and interacting with him I was in love. I enjoyed keeping reptiles and continued to get more, but unfortunately, there was one problem. It was costly to feed them. As a broke college student, I didn’t like that aspect of my hobby.

Through more research, I discovered it was possible to breed insects at home for my reptiles. I thought this was an interesting way to save money and do something cool at home.

I started with crickets which was very stinky and unsuccessful, I think some even escaped into the house!

The next insects I tried to breed were Superworms and Mealworms. I had success with these and was able to breed my own but there was one problem. They took months to grow up to the size my Leopard Geckos needed.

I was just about to give up on breeding insects for my reptiles when I came across Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) on a YouTube video.

The video explained that the black soldier fly lifecycle was only 30-45 days and that they were helping the food waste problem by eating massive amounts of organic food waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill. From that video on I knew that I needed to be a part of the black soldier fly larvae industry.

I had always wanted to start a business but wanted to make sure it had my interests and the earth in mind. Farming Black Soldier Fly Larvae for reptiles was just that for me!

Ecoflys first started serving black fly larvae in January 2020 and continues to visit reptile shows such as the All Ohio Reptile Show in Hillard Ohio.

The purpose for me and Ecoflys is simple; deliver the best black soldier fly larvae while helping fight food waste here in Akron, Ohio.

If you wish to purchase black soldier fly larvae for your reptile please visit ecoflys.com

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
As a black soldier fly larvae farmer I have many tasks to get done weekly. Since the black soldier fly larvae have a short lifecycle, new black soldier fly larvae must be grown fresh every week. Ensuring the best black soldier fly larvae for our customers. One of the most exciting parts of my job is shipping out orders and interacting with customers. It is so rewarding and special to hear that my customers’ reptiles enjoy my black soldier fly larvae. Ecoflys focus for the end of 2023 and 2024 will be launching our dried black soldier fly larvae products. This will add another product line for us and will help manage weekly inventory because the live black soldier fly larvae can be dried out. We will be vending at poultry and bird shows in 2024 and are excited to meet new customers and introduce them to black soldier fly larvae.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three qualities that were impactful in my journey are; perseverance, determination, and being willing to keep learning. These qualities helped me get to where I am now. First perseverance, so many times have I wanted to quit, I think every business owners seriously considers it at least once. If I didn’t have perverver through those challenges that made me want to quit who knows where I would be right now.

Second, determination. This is a quality I had to build. Its not easy getting up at 4am to sift fly larvae before your regular 9-5 job. You have to be determined to get out of bed early and do the hard things.

Lastly a willingness to learn. If your not learning you are doing yourself a disfavor as a business owner. Learning is so crucial. Even when you think something you learning has nothing to do with you or your business, you may be able to find a use case for the knowledge and improve your business.

For those of you who are reading this and are wondering how can I develop these skills, it takes time. My advice to you would be to do the hard things in life. Wake up early, work out, and meditate on things you want. Do the hard things in life so when it comes to your business it is a welcome distraction instead of work.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Ecoflys is always looking for people to collaborate with. If you are reading this and have a reptile that like black soldier fly larvae or any type of insect reach out to us so we can send you some free black soldier fly larvae for a shout-out on social media. We also have an affiliate program so you can earn a commission if anyone uses your discount code on the website.

For now, live black soldier fly larvae are our main business but we will be expanding into dried black soldier fly larvae for chickens in 2024 and are also looking for people to collaborate with.
Finally, if you are a researcher or a research institute please give us a call at 330-217-3099 so we can supply you with larvae at no cost to you.

Contact Info:

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