One of the things I find lacking where I live is a good local source of feeders, both rodent and insect. Other than the big stores like Petsmart and Petco, there are only two stores in the area that carry feeders. One of those stores I don't use due to frequent mite infestations with their mice and rats. The other store does a good job, but they are about 45 minutes from my house.

So I had the thought to start up a small feeder business to cater to the reptile people in my area. I'd start small with just rats, mice, superworms, mealworms, and dubia, and see where things go. (If it goes well, I can expand into rabbits, ASF, and other non-rodent feeders).

One of my concerns is that I may make enemies with the other feeder suppliers. I'm in the process of acquiring a few rat racks and I've been getting my breeders from the store that's 45 min away. He's a nice guy and he's doing a good job with the store (its pretty much the only good reptile store in the area). I don't want to take away his business but at the same time, I often hear complaints from friends and others that the store's location isn't ideal.

How should I go about this in a way that I'm not going to cause him problems by taking a bunch of business but I can still establish myself as a feeder producer? I would provide locally as well as vend at reptile shows.