The matriarch of 1818 Farms is Natasha McCrary. Natasha grew up in Florence, Alabama and attended the University of Alabama for her college education. In 1994, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS degree in Marketing. After graduation, Natasha moved to Atlanta to work for Andersen Consulting as a Systems Engineer. In 1996, Natasha married Laurence McCrary and she was hired by Novartis Pharmaceuticals as a sales representative to be based in Birmingham. Ultimately in 2000, Natasha became a stay-at-home mom after the birth of the couple’s first child. Ever the empathic entrepreneur, Natasha started “Children First” in 2008 as an outreach group that would work hands-on with Huntsville’s neediest children. Natasha served as the Director of Children First until 2013 and under her watch, Children First served over 25,000 meals to children in need.

The McCrary’s relocated to Mooresville, Alabama in August of 2005 where their family grew with two more children over the years. In 2011, Natasha became interested in starting a family-run farm to teach her children about sustainability and the importance of the land. Natasha had no experience raising farm animals like Southdown Babydoll sheep, let alone running a farm. But she had an idea of how she could make it work: combine the farm with a small business that would help cover the cost of food for the animals. The result, a flourishing flower farm and a line of all-natural beauty and lifestyle products focused on sustainability.